Jeremy Guscott column: New-look backline can tear it up if Leicester’s pack perform
However, although Leicester finished fourth in the table at the end of the regular season, and have to go to Allianz Park to play first-placed Saracens, the signs are that they are a team on the rise again. A measure of how far they had slipped is that for some seasons their main East Midlands rivals, Northampton, had more name players. People knew more Saints players than Tigers with the likes of Courtney Lawes, Ben Foden, Dylan Hartley, Tom Wood, George North and Samu Manoa in their squad.
That could soon change because this season there has been a big rebuild following Aaron Mauger’s return to Welford Road as head coach, with Leicester getting to the Premiership play-offs and the European Cup semi-finals. Mauger has done well considering that it is part of a three-year plan, and this season he has been hampered by injuries to fly-halves Freddie Burns and Owen Williams, injury to Manu Tuilagi and also the England absences of Ben Youngs and Dan Cole.
In the past many of Leicester’s opponents were beaten before they got on the pitch because of the reputation of their pack, but in recent years they have lost that name for forward dominance. That’s why Saracens will have a huge home advantage over them at Allianz Park, and they also have the confidence of having all their international players going really well, and their lesser known players also performing strongly.
As for Leicester, they seem to have been reminded under Mauger that the most important part of playing, even at professional level, is being in love with the game. That means that you value your job, and when you are not playing you really miss it. When you love what you’re doing as a player it’s communicated to the supporters, and they get right behind you – and that becomes your oxygen as well as theirs.
That’s what appears to be happening at Tigers. Harry Thacker’s been a breath of fresh air, proving that rugby is a game for all shapes and sizes. Newly arrived strike-runners such as Telusa Veainu and Peter Betham are making their mark, and with experienced England stars like Cole being bigged-up, and Ben Youngs rejuvenated, it’s looking up.
Even so, most people would expect a Saracens home win in the play-offs, but I’d like to think Mauger will tackle that by letting the Tigers loose. Let’s face it, who thought Leicester would be in these play-offs after seeing them thumped by Bath last season?
That puts this squad in a great position, because it means they are less likely to be bogged down with what’s expected from the Tigers. Fresh faces like Veainu and Betham don’t have to carry the weight of the past. If they play freely, as Mauger encourages, that is their best opportunity. Saracens may be the stronger team, but this is knock-out rugby and the unexpected can happen.
Leicester cannot go to north London and just chuck the ball around. The problem they will face is that Saracens make so few mistakes, and you cannot run them off their feet because they are so fit. Leicester have to play smart, make very few errors, apply pressure, and come away with points every time they get the chance.
Every Saracens international will be a target, especially in the pack where the Tigers forwards will want to prove a point. If the man in charge is Mauger, then a player like Ben Youngs has to show he’s good enough to adapt to any scenario.
You need your best players to play well, and Youngs must be on a massive high after a Grand Slam, and after the Tigers regeneration. A player with his experience has to look at it as a great opportunity – a time to lead by example and bring all that Lions, England and Leicester knowledge he has to bear. Leicester must also wipe that memory of Cole being blown off the park the last time he scrummaged against Saracens. What happened can’t happen again.
They also have to accept that sometimes in a game you have to be boring and play it straight. Exeter were like that, then wide and wild, and now they’ve found a great balance. Leicester have to find something similar, and they have a good mix with what Richard Cockerill has done with their pack combining with the exciting backline which has been given licence by Mauger.
You have to score tries to be successful. It’s not long ago that Saracens could stop a side from scoring tries against them, but couldn’t score enough tries themselves – but now they can. The days of bulldozing are gone. Now you have to get over the line through exciting, quick-thinking players, and Leicester have that.
Maybe it’s a bit too soon for them, but no-one would be too surprised if Leicester sneaked a win against Saracens. They will be outsiders, but not huge underdogs – and they know they have the ability to win.
