Any chatter about the Prem top two being sewn up by Northampton Saints and Bath will suit Leicester Tigers perfectly. Most teams seize on supposed slights and use them as fuel, with the Tigers particularly adept at converting perceived disrespect into motivation.
Sitting in third, on a run of five consecutive bonus-point victories in the league having already landed the Prem Cup, they can take a significant step towards a home semi-final on Saturday when they face Saracens at StoneX Stadium.
Leicester supporters may bristle at the suggestion their side have crept under the radar as a surprise package given that they reached last season’s decider, where they were narrowly defeated by Bath. But they did begin the present campaign after losing three Test centurions — Dan Cole, Ben Youngs and Julián Montoya — as well as a double World Cup-winner in Handré Pollard.
Geoff Parling was stepping into Michael Cheika’s shoes for a first head coach gig, too. There was a palpable sense of transition, yet the Tigers look strong as spring arrives and they round the final bend.
Billy Searle and co step up
Whether or not they capture another Prem title and emulate Steve Borthwick’s class of 2021-22, Richard Wilks should be remembered as a big influence on this season. Wilks left his post as general manager over the summer, yet his last batch of signings is ageing exceptionally well.
Another reason to be cautious about Leicester’s prospects in pre-season was their fly-half situation. Post-Pollard succession planning did not seem watertight, with the captures of Billy Searle and James O’Connor not announced until late June. Both would be continuing nomadic careers.
Searle, 30, is enjoying an excellent season as Leicester’s attacking fulcrumMike Egerton/PA
Searle, picked up from Agen in the French second tier, has been a revelation. The 30-year-old’s running threat, highlighted as a major strength when the Tigers approached him, has provided a different dimension, and his neat distribution is sparking a lively back division. An assured display for England A against Ireland at Thomond Park firmly consolidated his domestic form.
Bath coaches suspected that Orlando Bailey’s best position would turn out to be inside centre, a hunch that is being vindicated handsomely — albeit for Leicester after the erstwhile Eddie Jones apprentice relocated to the East Midlands. The 24-year-old Bailey, who spent some of the Prem Cup campaign at full back, is classy on the ball and deceptively robust. Also in midfield, Will Wand is not a new recruit — he was signed from Coventry in 2024 — but the wiry centre is enjoying a belated breakthrough.
Bailey, the former Bath player, is comfortable in midfield and at full backJUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images
The combative hooker Jamie Blamire, previously at Newcastle, suits his new surroundings every bit as well as anticipated. Further towards leftfield is the explosive wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb. Either side of earning his Wales debut against Scotland, he has capitalised on Adam Radwan’s absence with a leg injury to score eight tries in his past four league appearances, including five against the Red Bulls last Saturday. Radwan was himself an opportunistic coup from Wilks in the middle of last season and Parling trialled Ollie Hassell-Collins at full back last weekend to fit in as much speed as possible.
The Tigers have built a reputation for thinking on their feet with short-term deals, and bringing in Hamish Watson as injury cover was smart. Joaquín Moro, the rangy and versatile back-row forward, may just be the shrewdest acquisition of the lot. In a competition featuring Juan Martín González and Santiago Carreras, he has probably been the best Argentinian on show.
Maturing core
Parling’s appointment of Ollie Chessum as club captain in September represented a decisive move. Chessum, a “do-as-I-do” leader capable of delivering messages in a forthright manner, emanates Leicester’s traditional values as an uncompromising, industrious operator. Parling, himself a former Tigers lock familiar with the fans’ demands, recognised as much.
Chessum was appointed club captain in September, and has relished the roleDavid Rogers/Getty Images
Put simply, it would feel jarring for Chessum to be at any other club, and he seems older than 25 because of his presence. Jack van Poortvliet and Freddie Steward are in the same school year as their skipper, with Joe Heyes slightly more senior, having just turned 27. A local spine has been supported by the former captain and understated lieutenant Hanro Liebenberg.
A contemporary of Ox Nché and Thomas du Toit in the South Africa Under-20 set-up, Liebenberg has been an exceptional addition since arriving in the summer of 2019. Returning to the Bulls in Pretoria at the end of the season, he should be regarded as one of the most effective overseas recruits in the league’s history. Filling in at lock recently summed up his resourcefulness and dedication.
These mainstays, as well as Nicky Smith, Tommy Reffell and Cameron Henderson, have ensured continuity and stability, easing the introduction of youngsters such as the loose-head prop Archie van der Flier and the lock Harry Palmer.
Prem Cup impetus
There is little doubt that the Prem Cup is a poor relation squeezed into autumn international periods and the Six Nations window, but it can be used to embolden squad players and provide valuable game time. Leicester ran mixed line-ups this season, complementing senior players with rookies, and the blend worked beautifully. They beat the reigning champions Bath 46-21 in the semi-final and thrashed Exeter Chiefs 66-14 in a home final.
The upshot appears to be a content and united group with tangible momentum as they reach the last five rounds of the Prem regular season. A 64-14 Champions Cup thrashing in Bordeaux, for which frontline forwards were rested, does not look as though it has punctured confidence, with fringe men clearly pulling in the right direction. George Martin made his return against Newcastle after 14 months on the sidelines. The brawny England lock is bound for Saracens and will want a stirring send-off with his boyhood club. Emeka Ilione, recovering from a shoulder injury, should return soon for a timely boost. He was outstanding, forcing his way into the England shake-up during last season’s run-in.
Martin made his much-awaited return in the game against Newcastle last weekendMark Dunn/UK Sports Pics Ltd
Tactical imprint
Coaching churn has been a theme at Leicester, who confirmed the impending departures of their assistant coaches Peter Hewat and Brett Deacon this week. Hewat, who is set to be replaced by his fellow Australian Rod Seib from Connacht, joined in 2024 with the intention of reuniting with Dan McKellar. A week later, on the back of a poor season and having lost authority over the squad, McKellar was sacked. This sums up how coaching matters have not been straightforward in recent years at the Tigers. Remember how England plundered Borthwick, Kevin Sinfield, Aled Walters, Tom Harrison and Richard Wigglesworth?
Working with his third head coach in less than two years with Leicester, Hewat seems a popular figure whose methods are translating on to the field. Their tallies of metres carried, defenders beaten and line breaks created have all improved this season, while the Tigers are conceding fewer turnovers. Hamer-Webb’s try in the dying seconds against Bristol, fashioned by a Steward kick-pass across his own 22 to Searle, encapsulated their ambition. Parling explained afterwards that Leicester had missed a chance to attack from a similar situation in a pre-season friendly, which had been subsequently pinpointed in an analysis meeting.
There is palpable desire to feed width, exemplified by Searle’s passing range and the selection of Bailey at No12. This being the Tigers, though, the nuts and bolts are valued. Leicester’s scrum, overseen by Neil Fowkes and spearheaded by Heyes and Smith, boasts the best differential between penalties awarded and penalties conceded across the league. The Tigers have amassed the most maul metres and also average the most metres per maul, with only Bristol above them for pushover tries.
In defence, the domain of Deacon and another assistant coach who is a former Tigers player, Anthony Allen, they are second only to Exeter as far as points and tries conceded. Matt Parr, the head of athletic performance, has conditioned the players well. Several moments during the campaign have reinforced collective toughness. In round two they stormed back from a 19-0 deficit to beat Harlequins and followed that up with a gutsy performance in an East Midlands derby that Northampton Saints were fortunate to win. The Tigers then beat Bath and Sale in consecutive one-score contests.
Such grit will be useful at the sharp end of the season. The Tigers will envisage nothing less than to be challenging for silverware, whether or not they are exceeding the expectations of others.