NO English club has appeared in more European finals than Leicester, but it will be a first for the Tigers on Friday night when they face Montpellier at Twickenham in front of 10,000 spectators.
Their finals have all come in the Champions Cup, but they have become the tenth Premiership club to reach the last stage of the Challenge Cup, a competition they have been involved in for only the last two seasons after slipping down the Premiership table.
Bath have also played in five European finals, four in the Challenge Cup, and only Toulouse have appeared in more Champions Cup finals than Leicester who under their director of rugby Steve Borthwick have made significant progress in the last nine months.
“Steve has instilled a DNA in us again,” said Leicester captain Tom Youngs, who was a squad player in 2009 when they made their last appearance in a Champions Cup final. “We want to be a tough side to beat, but you have to train hard to achieve that. The easiest thing is to say something and the hardest is to do it.
“Steve has cleared a path to where we want to go and no one is under any illusions about what it will take to get there. It does not take a scientist to work out that we are a lot better than we were and we are continuing to improve.
“We are further up the line than we were six months ago and if we keep working hard, we will be further up it again in another six months.”
Bu hikaye The Rugby Paper dergisinin May 16, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Rugby Paper dergisinin May 16, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Ten-try Chiefs show Pirates no mercy
TEN-TRY Exeter inflicted the backlash from six successive defeats in their worst ever start to a Premiership season on a young Pirates side suffering their own problems in the Championship.
South America look to keep on building
AS Sebastián Piñeyrúa's historic six-year term as President of Rugby Sudamérica comes to an end, his replacement shows no signs of slowing down.
Scarratt excited by new pathway
ENGLAND centurion Emily Scarratt is delighted with the new women's BUCS programme which aims to provide a smoother pathway for young aspiring female players.
Baxter: I want to make things better
ROB Baxter will not be walking away from Exeter, the only club still looking for a Premiership victory this season, believing he can get the Chiefs back on track and he cannot bear the thought of anyone else doing the job.
Pearce walks in his father's footsteps
PADDY Pearce is living a dream after emulating his father and great-uncle by playing for the club he supported as a boy, Bristol.
New England group will cause uncertainty
SO JUST when we thought that everything was getting sorted between the RFU, the clubs and players, a number of new agreements and a new group raises its head.
Galthie turns his sights to the future
FRANCE head coach Fabien Galthie offered the clearest hint yet of Les Bleus' future on Wednesday, when he released 19 players back F to their clubs for the ninth and final Top 14 round before the international break.
Gilmore has tightened up our defence - Anderson
CAMERON Anderson has hailed the impact made by defence coach Jason Gilmore, below, since he arrived at The Stoop in the summer.
Ampthill given 11-try lesson in class from Bath
BATH secured a thumping away success in the opening match of their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign against Ampthill at Dillingham Park.
New faces take the plaudits for Saints
NORTHAMPTON handed out a thorough lesson to a tame Leicester team in this one-sided East Midlands derby to launch the Premiership Cup.
