Leicester Tigers are playing attractive rugby and may have found a long-term head coach after years of instability. This marks a significant shift in their coaching strategy.
Key points
Leicester Tigers are playing attractive rugby
They may have found a long-term head coach
Almost 30 coaches have come and gone in 13 years
The team has shifted from aggressive to entertaining gameplay
Leicester Tigers
If you have been a regular watcher of English rugby over the past 30 years, or indeed a neutral observer of the game, I am going to make two statements so shocking that after hearing them, you might need a lie down.
Leicester Tigers are playing entertaining, attractive rugby.
Leicester Tigers look to have found a long-term head coach.
No, really.
Tigers, so often the bastions of a physical, aggressive gameplan, have opened up, and a 13-year psychodrama that has seen almost 30 coaches come and go, might well be over too.
Geoff Parling, a man with a decorated playing career, and self-described 'rugby nause', has now set his sights on winning trophies for England's most successful club as head coach.
They now face Bath on Saturday in a straight shoot-out for a home semi after what has been an impressive season. New stars have been discovered, new leaders have been formed, silverware has been won and seemingly, foundations have been set - Leicester fans will hope - for a bright future ahead.
So how has Parling, and his team, done it? And is he Leicester's long-term leader?
At that stage, Tigers were on the way to a runners-up spot, losing to Bath in last year's final. Michael Cheika, a coaching rock star, departed after a one-season setlist.
The words "long-term contract" were mentioned in the announcement almost as much as "Geoff Parling". The Tigers' hierarchy was sick of a revolving door of head coaches, as were the players, who would openly criticise instability in interviews.
Three Tigers players wearing white shirts with gold logos and singing.Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Club captain Ollie Chessum and Tigers and England team-mates Freddie Steward and Jack van Poortvliet have been part of a new leadership group
Q&A
How many coaches have Leicester Tigers had in the past 13 years?
Leicester Tigers have seen almost 30 coaches come and go in the past 13 years.
What style of rugby are Leicester Tigers currently playing?
Leicester Tigers are currently playing entertaining and attractive rugby.
Is Leicester Tigers' coaching situation finally stable?
It appears that Leicester Tigers may have found a long-term head coach, suggesting a more stable coaching situation.
What has changed in Leicester Tigers' gameplay recently?
Leicester Tigers have shifted from a physical, aggressive gameplan to a more open and entertaining style of play.
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Parling's introduction was, as he described, a "whirlwind".
He left the final Lions Test as Australia forwards coach on the Sunday and was coaching Tigers by the Wednesday. The unpacking of boxes in his new home, I discovered last week, still hasn't been fully completed.
He set about changing the way Leicester played, along with attack coach Pete Hewat.
Inspired by watching Aussie Rules during his time down under, he prioritised kicking accuracy, asking players to try to catch the ball above their head under the high ball.
Before last week's round of action, they had the most kicks in play and kicked the most metres in the league.
More than that, though, was the sense that Leicester have been entertaining to watch.
Fans at Mattioli Woods Welford Road are used to entertainment by bulldozer. Grit, character and, above all else, victory. They have seen 11 English titles and two European Cups, but the Tigers brand was never based on beauty.
Now, they are playing with fluidity. Marshalled by Billy Searle at 10 (more on him later), and backed up by lightning-quick wings Adam Radwan and Ollie Hassell-Collins, they are now confident to throw the ball wide and play from deep in their own territory.
"We've never seen Leicester do this," said Tom Varndell, a former Tigers wing and BBC Radio Leicester summariser. "They are playing with freedom; they are backing their skills.
"Under Geoff Parling, they've got a licence to play heads-up rugby. You need a good set-piece and forward dominance, but behind that, they needed more. It's like looking at a completely different team."
That's not to say Tigers haven't lost that nastiness that has defined them. Their pack is still brutish, highlighted by a punishing takedown of rivals Northampton Saints last month.
It was even demonstrated in Parling's somewhat controversial viral moment earlier this season, when he told TNT presenters their behaviour "wasn't on", but in much more fruity terms, when a ball was kicked near the players during their pre-match warm-up.
It highlighted Leicester still have their edge, but there's more depth to their approach.
"I think it's pretty clear that there's an intent to be more expansive and more accurate," Tigers and England full-back Freddie Steward told BBC Radio Leicester.
"The traditional DNA is gritty, tight rugby. We still have that, but we have tried to add an attacking mindset to that."
Possibly the biggest change over the summer was not the coaching team but a loss of leadership.
Veteran Argentina hooker Julian Montoya, double World Cup-winning South Africa fly-half Handre Pollard, and club legends Ben Youngs and Dan Cole - numbers one and two on the all-time England appearances list - were among the players to depart, either for pastures new or into retirement.
Tigers saw over 500 international caps depart in total. More than that, though, the exiting players were the team's leaders.
A member of the coaching staff told me, in September, that they were unsure if there were leaders in the new-look team.
They needn't have worried.
Step forward the Class of 2019 (as nobody calls them). Players like Steward, Jack van Poortvliet, and club captain Ollie Chessum. All of them came through the academy at the same time and have now become the backbone of the team.
"It is a really young squad," said 26-year-old Cameron Henderson, another who is part of their new leadership group. "It blew my mind when someone said I was above the average age of the squad.
"We've had to roll with it and step up; it's been a really fun part [of the season] to mould the team around what we want. We're leading the team and pushing it forward."
Billy Searle in action during a game with players and the crowd in the background.Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Billy Searle has revolutionised the way Leicester play from fly-half
Perhaps one of Parling's greatest achievements, though, has been to bring largely unheard-of players to the fore.
Billy Searle has been a revelation at fly-half.
He was arguably brought in as third-choice at 10, but after some incredible performances, he has usurped James O'Connor and Orlando Bailey by playing an open brand of rugby, allied to a well-executed kicking game, and being near-perfect from the tee.
Although now injured, it was no surprise to see him named as Players' Player of the Year at Leicester's in-house awards last week. He had a decent career before moving to the East Midlands, but had played for 10 clubs in 10 years on either side of the Channel.
"I've had a few teams, I've had some very good years and some tougher years, but when this opportunity came up, I jumped at it. I wanted to nail down that shirt."
It's not just Searle, though. You'd have had very long odds on Will Wand, previously only a Prem Rugby Cup regular, and the aforementioned Bailey as Leicester's first-choice centre pairing last September. Both look like internationals at the moment.
Archie van der Flier and Joaquin Moro are two others nobody had heard of last year, but if Tigers make it to Twickenham, they will likely be part of the matchday 23.
Leicester's Prem Cup-winning campaign brilliantly built their strength in depth, meaning the platform has been set for the future.
So have Leicester, previously an EastEnders storyline of a rugby club, finally found their man? It's what Tigers fans and players have been crying out for, for over a decade.
"Every season we've been saying 'new start, new era' - but hopefully this is the Geoff Parling era for many years to come," said CEO Andrea Pinchen.
"He is very dedicated, very detailed. But that consistency is very important."
Parling has already achieved the minimum, a top-four place and a cup win. Now they face Bath, an age-old rival, to decide who will get a semi-final at home, possibly against each other. The loser might even come fourth, after Tigers' loss to Exeter last week opened up the top-four battle.
They may have to do without Searle and Steward - such vital players this season. But they have previously responded well to defeats this term - another sign of Parling's coaching ability.
"It has been a good season so far," said Parling. "We'll decide now whether it's great. Let's find out how we are on Saturday and go from there."
The former Newcastle man added: "Bath have had some close losses recently; I think they'll channel that and ramp up how they play."
Challenges await Tigers next season, with the hugely influential attack coach Hewat and dedicated forwards coach Brett Deacon both leaving at the end of the year.
England lock George Martin and Wales prop Nicky Smith are among high-profile playing departures.
Plus, and I'll say this quietly, Leicester fans, because it has happened before. Perhaps international sides might look at a successful club coach with Test match experience? After a World Cup next year, maybe?
But there is a sense at Mattioli Woods Welford Road that perhaps, finally, things might have calmed down. Maybe the dominant Tigers of old could return?
"I think there's a very positive future ahead," said Smith, who is moving to Sale next season.
"Leicester are always going to be up and around it, and beating them in the future is going to be an unbelievable challenge.
"Teams know they are going to have to play incredibly to get a sniff. I won't be surprised if this group of boys are fighting for silverware for many years to come."
