Foundations for Tigers success in place

BBC News

19-06-2025

Michael Cheika says he leaves Leicester Tigers knowing it is a club capable adding to its record 11 Premiership titles in the coming years.The 58-year-old Australian's final match at the helm of the East Midlands club was Saturday's narrow 23-21 Grand Final defeat by Bath.The decorated former Australia and Argentina boss, who was also previously at the helm of Leinster, New South Wales Waratahs and Stade Francais, re-established Tigers as a highfliers in his solitary season at Mattioli Woods Welford Road after they finished eighth in the Premiership 12 months earlier.Cheika will be replaced by former England and Tigers lock Geoff Parling after the 41-year-old finishes his commitments as Australia assistant coach this summer."I hope they will have some foundations here that they can go on and deliver Championships over the next few years," Cheika told BBC Radio Leicester."The basis of a great playing squad is there."
The squad that Parling inherits will be one without a cast of iconic Tigers figures.Defeat at Twickenham marked the end of the careers of scum-half Ben Youngs and prop Dan Cole - England's two most capped male players in history, who also shared nine Premiership titles between them.Former England full-back Mike Brown, who was left out of the decider, has also retired, while Tigers captain Julian Montoya and two-time World Cup winning South African fly-half Handre Pollard has left the club.Youngs, who said after the final defeat that he will "forever be a Leicester fan now", insists the club is "in a good spot" despite the number of departures."You lose some big players but there are some great youngsters coming through at Leicester, and we are always going to be competitive," he said.And in former team-mate Parling, Youngs sees a rookie head coach capable of bringing "fresh enthusiasm" to a club that has already been rejuvenated by Cheika."Michael Cheika has been there , done it and seen it all - he has all the experience in the world," Youngs said."Geoff will be desperate to make an impression because it is his first time as the head guy. And it is a group that has come so close, so they will be thirsty and desperate to come here [Twickenham] to do one better."The three tries Tigers scored in the Grand Final defeat came from players remaining at the club, with two of them coming from homegrown stars in England scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet and flanker Emeka Ilione, who earned his first call-up to the senior national side this year.Former Tigers and England winger Tom Varndell, who is a match summariser on BBC Radio Leicester, says Parling will need "patience and time to grow" in the role after seeing Leicester come so far in just one season under the hugely experience Cheika."It is going to be tough for Geoff in the first half of the season, he has get to know all the guys, and the players will have to buy into his gameplan, his way of thinking and his coaching," Varndell said. "It's not going to be plain sailing. We must not lose focus that this is a completely new look squad and team, and it is going to take time for Geoff to get the squad to where he wants it."But Varndell says there will be "a lot of positive energy" after Cheika had them challenging for silverware once more."From where they had been 12 months ago to where they are now is incredible," he said."For them to get to the final, I really couldn't have imagined that 12 months ago so the progression has been really positive."The important thing now is how they kick on for next season."