When Geordan Murphy took over as Leicester’s interim head coach after the sacking of Matt O’Connor a couple of days into the season, he gathered his players together and told them that, while he had secured a job he coveted by means he had not wanted, he intended to grasp his opportunity and secure the position on a full-time basis.
“We have lost a few coaches in the last couple of years and it is about getting the right man in,” says Murphy as he prepares for Sunday’s Midlands derby against Wasps at the Ricoh Arena. “I hope it’s me, but if not, we will have to deal with it. I am not looking over my shoulder. I will give my all to make us tighter as a group and I am focused and optimistic.”
Geordan Murphy appointment is Leicester sticking to an old routine
The Irishman, who spent 16 years as a player at Welford Road before retiring in 2013, is the fourth man to lead the Tigers in 20 months, after the dismissals of Richard Cockerill, Aaron Mauger and O’Connor. Like Murphy, they knew the club from the inside when they were appointed and Leicester, as with the Liverpool of old in football, prefer to cultivate their own in the boot room.
Murphy says: “It is a dream job for me and I will give it a really good crack, and while I have to focus on the short term immediately, leaving the club in a better place involves looking beyond that.”
The word “boot” has taken on a different connotation in recent years as Leicester’s slide from the top since their last Premiership success in 2013 has gathered momentum. A team that appeared in nine consecutive play-off finals from 2005 failed to make the top four last season and O’Connor was removed after a 40-6 defeat at Exeter on the opening weekend, having failed to adopt recommendations in the close season from the club’s rugby committee.
Murphy’s reign started with a bonus-point 49-33 victory last Saturday at home to Newcastle, a match that showcased Leicester’s strengths and weaknesses. They were 22 points up after 14 minutes, scoring four tries, but were hanging on after the interval when the Falcons scored a fifth try. Leicester used to be a side known for being hard to break down but it is now 28 Premiership matches since they last kept their line intact – Saracens have done so five times in that period.
After the defeat to Exeter and O’Connor’s departure, Murphy’s former teammate Austin Healey described the club as a shambles. “He’s a mate of mine but Austin and sensationalism have been paired together quite a lot,” Murphy says. “I gave him a bit of grief in a text message. He cares about the place as an ex-player and so do we.
“Our past is a source of strength. People talked about the way we played then with the forwards dominating, but we had a tasty backline and scored tries for fun. Just having a strong pack is not enough to win you medals.”
Guy Thompson moved from Wasps to Leicester in the summer after speaking to O’Connor but before the back-rower had played a game for his new club, the head coach was gone. “Matt’s going does not change anything for me because my decision to come here was not based on one coach; I spoke to a number of people, including Geordie. I joined because of the culture of the club, the coaching as a whole and how I would improve as a player. I do not regret it. I had had five enjoyable years at Wasps but felt I needed a change of scenery.
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“I did not see Matt’s departure coming. The first I knew was when the players were told there would be an announcement later that evening. Nothing was led by the players as far as I am aware of and I am here to do a job whoever is in charge. You can feel Geordie’s passion for the club and we are all pulling behind him. We turned a corner last weekend but there is still a huge amount to work on. All we can do is focus on the next game; the powers that be can look beyond that.”
Thompson, who was born in Hereford, watched Gloucester in his youth. “My impression of Leicester then was that they were winners,” he says. “It would be great to get back to that. Coming here you have a massive respect for the history. It is everywhere and they want to be back there. This squad has the ability to do that. Wasps is a massive game for us with both clubs having lost to Exeter. I have a number of friends there but have not been in touch recently. The time for catching up will be afterwards.”
Leicester have won at Wasps only once since 2007. “I hope Geordie is given time,” Thompson says. “A period of stability would help. We need to harness the club’s culture and as players we need to take responsibility to keep Geordie in the role. We know defence is an issue and we have been working on it. It will be good to go back to Wasps again. I am massively competitive and this is a match I do not want to lose.”