Sunday’s tight defeat to Wasps for Leicester Tigers, was significant for two good reasons. Firstly, their 100% winning run was brought to an end; a run stretching back to June 2021, bringing with it feelings that have become forgotten over time. Secondly, it signified the half-way point of the league campaign, and roughly speaking the overall half-way point of the season. As a result, it is a good opportunity to take stock of where Leicester are at, and where they can look to work on.
The Good
Well for obvious reasons, this section of the blog is likely to be rather busy. That is down to the point made earlier on – but for that defeat in Coventry, Leicester Tigers have won all their other fixtures, whether that be in the League, Champions Cup or Premiership Cup. For the most part, they have deserved it as well. Early season expectations of a respectable run at the top 4 have so far been exceeded, and by a fair distance. Now obviously, nothing gets won in January, however as a marker to the rest of the league and probably to themselves as well, that is a pretty fine one to lay down. Tigers go into the 2nd half of the season still in with a shot at winning the treble. Now, actually going out to achieve that is a very difficult prospect, but Tigers are well-placed to at least give it a good shot at winning a trophy this season.
However way you look at it, to have reached January before you lose your first game of the season, is a very impressive statistic to have. Looking at how they have achieved that, makes for interesting consideration. The starting point for me is the fitness and heart of the players. Staying in the fight has been a characteristic of Leicester’s first half of the season, and their much improved fitness has meant they have won games they probably should have lost. Those games are obvious – Saracens at home, Bristol away on Boxing Day, both in memorable fashion. It has also meant, they have seen out games when under the pump late on in games, and added late tries and points in games they had won already. This has meant that Tigers have come away with bonus points to add to the 4 points for victory. Tigers already have 7 bonus points, 6 for their attacking play. This is a vast improvement to last season, and is another reason why Leicester sit top of the table, and not in the chasing pack.
In addition, it allows Tigers to implement and impose their game plan on their opposition each week. I will go through some of these factors below, but it all starts from having such great fitness. Very little of what Tigers want to implement and how they implement their ideas can be achieved if it was not for having such a superior fitness level.
All credit for that goes to Tigers’ Head of Performance, Aled Walters, who for me is the biggest point of difference for Leicester compared to their rivals. Looking at the influence he has had, and the results Leicester have produced, it is hard to argue that without Aled, Tigers would be a good side and in and around the top 4. With Aled, he takes them to the levels they have reached, with such a good winning record. It Is not just the wins already mentioned, but holding off Gloucester’s charge in the 2nd game of the season, and making sure Quins did not mount their comeback charge for example. Tigers’ ability to go for a full 80 minutes at the high intensity game plan they like to play to, is unique to them in my opinion.
The second major factor in Tigers’ great start to the season has come from their defence, which is miserly. 19 tries have been conceded in the league so far this season, the best by far. For reference, the next best are Saracens with 28 tries conceded. Put simply, their defence is a major factor as to why they are winning games of rugby. It sounds obvious, but if you stop your opponents from putting 5 points past you, with potentially a further 2 points to come with the conversion, then you make your life easier as a result. This is also reflected in the points against column in the table – again Tigers lead the pack in this area. This is an area that Tigers were ok at last season, they have now improved this beyond measure, being a key success point for them.
I have spoken about Sir/Super Kevin Sinfield before, and with each week that goes by, he looks a better and better signing for the club. He has implemented not just a physical defence, but a well-structured and organised one as well. To have played Quins and only concede a solitary try, shows how well they have done in this area. Even in their sole defeat so far, the key try scored by Wasps, was a debateable Penalty Try. Moving forward, maintaining the high levels reached so far will be a key component for any success for Tigers, especially in the bigger games they wish to be involved in.
Thirdly game management and the overall game plan that Tigers work to, are a key point for why Tigers have had success so far, and why their start to the season has been so positive. Quite simply, they do the different basic facets of the game very well, and their opponents cannot live with their intensity. Physical ball carriers, a strong kicking game and kick chase, backed up with a physical defence, with exciting attacking players to exploit the holes created. When written down like that, it sounds painfully simple, but the truth is that it is. Tigers do not complicate the game, they just do the basics very well. It is what cost them against Wasps, as for the first time, multiple errors crept into their play, stopping them from getting momentum and a foothold in the game.
Tigers have stepped up their discipline from last season, and have cut out a lot of silly penalties, especially from the middle of the pitch. That prevents opponents from kicking to the corner and establishing territory in Tigers’ own 22. Because of the improvements Tigers have made, they now control possession and territory a lot better, creating a vice-like grip on the game and over their opponents. Tigers want to keep the ball in play, and grind down their opponents with their physicality. So again, back to the starting point, it all comes down to the fitness work that Aled Walters has done with them since the Summer. This allows them to implement their game plan at the required intensity.
The final point to Leicester’s successful start to the season, comes in the form of their squad depth. Tigers are benefitting from a combination of successive periods of much improved recruitment, and their crop of Academy graduates and young players that have joined the club from different sources. The result is that Tigers now have a core group of 30-32 players of really good quality, and ensures they no longer have a “1st Choice” or “2nd Choice” so to speak. Instead they have that core group as mentioned, of players that can come in and out of the matchday 15 or 23 at will, with no real drop off in quality. In addition, the squad is packed full of young, hungry and talented players, that are desperate to improve and get better for Leicester. It has meant that Steve Borthwick can amend and adjust his team selections to match the opposition and their differing styles.
Concerns
As can be seen above, and by looking at the results Leicester have had so far, the club has had a very successful first half of the season. However as we cross the halfway point, there are areas that Tigers need to be aware of that could trip them up, or hamper their plans for a trophy winning season. As befits a team that has such a strong start, these are mild concerns, however they should not be dismissed either.
Firstly with injuries and lack of availability testing the squad. Weird as it may sound given I have just praised their squad depth above, but Tigers are about to enter into a crucial part of their season, with the 6 Nations just around the corner. So far they have done relatively well with injuries and fewer International call ups – George Ford the prime example. Again full credit to Aled and the wider medical team, as well as Steve rotating where he can. However as we have seen in the Wasps game, the squad is being tested to its limit, with backs filling in for the forwards, and hookers scrumming down out of position. Whilst they got away with it against Newcastle Falcons, they fell short against Wasps, with this being a factor. If Tigers pick up any more injuries or players such as Chessum and George Martin get unexpected call ups to the England squad, then Tigers may find themselves up against it, at just the wrong time.
Linked into this, is a concern over a potential lack of game time for some players – Socino, Hegarty and Kobus Van Wyk for example. Now obviously I do not attend training each day, and as we know, Steve is very secretive over disclosing injuries to the public, so the reasoning is probably all straightforward. So, again, this is not a moan nor complaint, Borthwick has guided us to this position expertly. However there are a group of players that are just not getting game time, for whatever reason that is. That potentially causes a couple of issues – resentment possibly gets built up, which is not a healthy emotion to have around the club. There is also a concern that the club becomes too reliant on too small a group of players, potentially causing injuries or knocks. Whilst I am not advocating wholesale rotation, I do not believe it to be a bad thing to introduce a slightly more wider rotation policy to allow players to come in to ensure others get a rest period. That said, we are approaching the 6 Nations, so hopefully this allows us the opportunity to do so.
The final concern Tigers might have is based upon their performances over recent weeks, where they have appeared to be playing not to lose, rather than to win. Tigers were slightly patchy against Connacht at home, deserved to lose against Bristol before their mega comeback win, and thoroughly deserved to lose against Wasps last Sunday. For me, a lot of this is down to injuries having a bigger effect on them than they would like to admit, secondly they have been operating with the weight of their 100% record, which I think was starting to become an unhealthy weight on their shoulders, and lastly they have become a target for every one of their opponents, desperate to take their scalp. The reality is now that Tigers are every team’s Cup Final who play out of their skin accordingly, as well as learning how to match Tigers up. As a result, Leicester will now have to adapt and find new methods in their approach to gain victory.
At the halfway point Leicester are in a great position across all competitions. Realistically, they only require 6 more wins to gain a top 4 position from their remaining 12 league games, and only a further win in Europe to progress to the knockout stages, combined with being in a great position to progress in the Premiership Cup. As a result, their first half of the season can only be seen as a great success, and should enter into the 2nd half of the season full of positivity and confidence. They have achieved this through their hard work and talent and should be fully proud of what they have completed so far. That said, winning trophies is still a long way away, with much more hard work needed to be undergone to get there, with a few trip hazards along the way. Tigers are in a great position to navigate their way through, fingers crossed for a stellar and fulfilling 2nd half of the season, come on Tigers!
(The profile picture comes from the Leicester Tigers twitter page, and all credit must go them).