As Leicester Tigers prepare for their final game of the season, away at Wasps, the annual end of season awards have been announced for us as fans to vote on. Up for discussion are 3 awards – Best Newcomer, Best Youngster and Player of the Season. In recent years, given the sorry state of results and performances, these awards have been a bit of a damp squib, after all, there’s not a lot of celebrating that can be done when you have finished 11th twice in succession. This year however, the awards are a much different affair with them all keenly contested across the board, showcasing the strength of the squad, and how far Tigers have come. It also begs the question, where else do you add for next season?
For the last two seasons, Tigers have been languishing 11th in the table, with a squad that was deeply unbalanced, with too much money tied up in International players, heavily biased towards backs and not forwards and with players that were not 100% committed to the club and the cause. There was a widening chasm in quality between the first choice 23, that would take the field a handful of occasions and the rest of the squad. As much as there were question marks over the quality of coaching, it would be hard to imagine many coaches creating any sort of silk’s purse out of the sow’s ear that Geordan Murphy inherited.
However, thanks to the hard work that Murphy, Simon Cohen and Jan McGinty put in, Tigers started this season with a much improved squad, that was much more balanced and much better for money compared to previous years. This has been subsequently built upon under the guidance of Steve Borthwick and the coaching team that has been working wonders, as well as the recruitment work being done for next season. The names already announced – Eli Snyman, Francois Van Wyk, Marco Van Staden and Freddie Burns are all players that will add and enhance the squad, and can slot in straightaway. Youngsters Will Hurd and Nic Dolly have also come into the mix over the course of this season, and already look like they’re high in potential and will be adding to what Tigers are looking to build.
Proof of how much improvement is seen in the squad is seen in how contested the three awards are. The first award – best newcomer was a choice between Matías Moroni, Kini Murimurivalu, Jasper Wiese, Nemani Nadolo, Harry Potter, Matt Scott and Richard Wigglesworth, all worthy winners as you can imagine. Personally, I found it hard to choose between Moroni and Wiese – both individuals crucial to how we play, but plumped for Wiese given how destructive he has been since the day he arrived. Given the likes of Cyle Brink and Guy Porter, and youngsters Dan Kelly & Cam Henderson were not on the list, just shows the improvement in the quality of Tigers’ recruitment over the last 12 months. It’s been a long time since we’ve had such a good run of new players joining the club. Each player has added both quality on the pitch, as well as leadership and strong communication off it and it is a testament to the hard work in identifying them and bringing them into the club, as well as the culture that is being fostered around the club. That these players can join, mainly from overseas into a new country, to a city that has been in lockdown longer than most, and showcase their talents, almost instantly, is a hat tip towards the coaching team led by Borthwick. It certainly gives confidence to what we will see from the 4 players above who have already been announced.
The next award was probably the toughest to call – Young Player of The Year. This saw George Martin, Cam Henderson, Joe Heyes, Dan Kelly, Jack Van Poortvliet, Tommy Reffell and Freddie Steward all nominated. In years gone by, any one of them would have walked away with the award. That we have 7 players of such distinction, all in the running, is fantastic, and shows the hard work and dedication of the academy system, as well as pointing to a bright future for the Tigers. That group is some spine of the squad that is being built, and are hopefully with the club for many years to come. The next 10 years certainly will be the “Roaring Twenties” if we as fans get to see this group progress together, hopefully destroying opposition packs, running in try after try and some silverware won. As I say, picking a winner from that group was almost impossible, as each had a strong case, but I ultimately plumped for Freddie Steward. The lad is now a certain pick in the 15, has to be on the radar of England, and is an absolute Rolls-Royce of a Full-Back. He has had an outstanding season and deserves all the awards and praise that will be bestowed upon him as a result of that.
The final award was the big one – Player of The Year. Those nominated were Ellis Genge, Dan Kelly, Hanro Liebenberg, Nemani Nadolo, Freddie Steward, Harry Wells and Jaspier Wiese. That so many were up for more than one award was great to see. Ultimately choosing this award is tough, as how do you define a standout player in a year that has seen so many players contribute to what has been a much improved season for Tigers? All those nominated were deservedly picked, having all been key contributors to what has been achieved this season. There really could have been another award, unsung hero or clubman of the year for example, as this really has been a terrific squad effort. Charlie Clare for example has been the epitome of this – in reality, probably third choice hooker, but has not let the side down each time he has played, and has been the definition of commitment throughout. Clare is a nod to the old-school ways of Leicester, and is the heartbeat of this squad and what we’re looking to build. Players like him are a key component of what we are now about.
As to the award itself, the choice for me came down to between two players – Hanro Leibenberg and Harry Wells. Liebenberg has been in superb form all season, and has arguably been more important to us than the Wiese, who grabs more of the spotlight. Hanro has been Mr Consistent, regularly putting in 7/10 performances at least, week in and week out. Added to which he has been an unofficial leader amongst the group, and is a key contributor to the increased standards. Wells has been a colossus all season, with physicality, commitment and hard-work all a big part of his game. His form has been so strong, that his name being mentioned for a place in the England squad this summer are not exaggerated. Like Clare, he is the heartbeat of this group, and Tigers through and through. He also has an awesome mullet which puts him up there. Fundamentally, Hanro edged it for me, as he has just been so good all season. I hope he can go on and stay with us for many years, and cement himself into the pantheon of Tigers legends.
As for the squad itself, it is now starting to come together nicely, and with an eye towards next season, Tigers will be fancying themselves for a serious tilt at challenging the top teams in the league, and a higher-placed finish in the table. Throughout this season, Borthwick has regularly emphasised the point that this is a group that is both inexperienced in Tigers appearances, and in many cases, inexperienced in professional rugby appearances. As we finish this season, it is worth looking at the list of appearances made over the course of the last 12 months, since rugby restarted after the original lockdown. Tigers have used 47 players this season, and now possess a squad with players who have made 10 or 15+ appearances for the club. Players who started the season marked as being in the Development Squad are now first team regulars or even certainties. All these appearances are learning experiences for these players, and go into their knowledge bank for the future. This groundwork will ultimately start paying dividends, let’s hope it is next season that these start coming through.
What is also striking when looking at the player stats, is that of those 47 players used, there is now a core group of 30-35 that are used more often than not. Borthwick has certainly managed his squad superbly well this season, making sure players get their opportunities and rewarding those that take them. As a result, combinations have begun to form, and squad depth no longer a forgotten thing of the past. Now, when assessing the squad, it is hard to say that there is a clear “first choice 15”, as was shown when trying to pick the line up for the Challenge Cup Final, with several players being very unlucky to miss out. In nearly all positions now, there are 3 or 4 genuine options that could be picked for the matchday 23. This has allowed Borthwick to rest players when needed, knowing that the replacement is more than capable of doing the job. This ability to form a core group means there is a strong spine running through the squad. Again, this cohesion going into next season will be a crucial element of how Tigers want to progress next season.
As a result of this squad depth, trying to pinpoint further areas for next season to strengthen is tough to call. For me, the two main areas to focus on are prop and centre. Loosehead would maybe seen as well covered with Genge, Van Wyk, Nephi Leatigaga and James Whitcombe all in situ. At tighthead, Dan Cole, Joe Heyes and Will Hurd are the 3 in place. With Nephi covering both, but now seen as a Loosehead it would seem that a Tighthead would be the area to look at, especially with Joe Heyes another on the fringes of the England squad. At centre, Dan Kelly, Matt Scott, Matías Moroni and Guy Porter are the ones that have featured most in those positions, all of which have done a sterling job. Where Tigers could do with, is an injection of guile and additional playmaking abilities alongside the strong organisational skills already in place.
What this does show is that there is more likely going to be more players leaving the club in the summer than joining. There has been 9 players already left or announced as going. There is another 9 from the Bristol programme that have not played all season. In addition, there are several that have made single figure appearances this season and not quite had the impact they would have wanted. Combine that with the usual development squad players being let go, we could see there being a fairly busy departure lounge. Given they are not part of that core 30-35 players mentioned, I do not see this being quite as much of a churn or an issue to Tigers compared to previous years.
The result of all this is that as Leicester Tigers finish this season, and start thinking of next season, they approach it with a squad that is much transformed from where they were 12 months ago. With the new players still to join, it is no surprise that many Tigers supporters are excited for next season, it’s certainly gearing up to be an exciting one. In the meantime, let’s stuff Wasps lads!!
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