If this will have to turn out his closing recreation in price, Steve Borthwick left Welford Road with a well-recognized sign-off – self-discipline, dedication and the outcome. Just about.
Popular opinion certainly has it that the top of the Eddie Jones generation would possibly imply England unfurl their wings and fly – those that know Borthwick could be much less fast to leap to that conclusion. But if effects are your factor, England may do worse, will have to the reputedly inevitable be introduced this week.
Leicester dispatched a tender Clermont Auvergne, who were given an entire lot more youthful early on with accidents to 2 skilled avid gamers, by means of scoring two tries within the first 1/2 – each from lineouts, no longer altogether strangely.
They had been disciplined, conceding best six consequences, 3 of which accounted for 9 of Clermont’s 16 issues, and let the French in best on the very dying for a attempt that earned the guests an advantage level.
Jasper Wiese used to be daring and direct, as ever, opening the try-scoring on the finish of the primary quarter, with a nervous price off the fringes of a lineout. Julian Montoya touched down a couple of mins later from the much more acquainted sight of an advancing Tigers lineout and force.
Those two scores formed the backbone of Leicester’s win. They were unlucky not to score a rather more fluid effort for Harry Potter in the second half, called back for an earlier forward pass.
The Clermont were not exactly lucky themselves, unable to finish off several scything breaks by their quicksilver backs. At times they made Leicester look pedestrian, Bautista Delguy, Alex Newsome and Cheikh Tiberghien enjoying at least one dazzling run apiece, but the Tigers managed to regroup and deny them each time.
More to observe