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Borthwick breaks silence following snap exit of Leicester legend Murphy

(Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)

Leicester head coach Steve Borthwick has insisted he remains on good terms with Geordan Murphy despite the sudden departure of the director of rugby from the club last Friday, a development that was criticised by club legends including Austin Healey.  

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At the club since 1997, multi trophy-winning player Murphy had gone into coaching at the club under Richard Cockerill. He then replaced Matt O’Connor, Cockerill’s successor, at the helm in 2018 and was elevated from head coach to director during the suspension of the 2019/20 season to accommodate the arrival of Borthwick, who had been working as an assistant at Eddie Jones’ England.

Borthwick started work on July 1 and just 19 weeks later, after the Leicester form failed to pick up in the restarted campaign, ties were cut with Murphy whose contract was due to run until the end of the 2020/21.

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      Having announced that exit via a media release last Friday, Leicester held their first media session since then on Wednesday which was attended by Borthwick and skipper Tom Youngs. Ask if he could elaborate on what had happened, Borthwick said: “I can’t tell you anything of note. 

      “Club management talked about clarity on the plan going forward beyond the end of the (2020/21) season and the club management/board gave the decision they had come to and that Geordan decided that he wanted to leave now rather than (stay) until the end of the season. That’s the details of the situation.

      “The relationship was good,” he continued. “The phone calls I have had with Geordan in the last few days, it continues to be. Geordan, first and foremost, is a tremendous person. I enjoyed the time we had working together and how deeply he cares about Leicester Tigers and he will be continuing to support Leicester Tigers.”

      Youngs added: “The Geordan Murphy factor is there and that has been addressed and talked about and conversations go on, people come and chat to me about it… a lot of that was put to bed yesterday [Tuesday] in some regards when we met up and everyone is sort of moving on. 

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      “Like anything in sport, you put your focus into rugby when you are here. You look at that and when you go away you think about other things but really 100 per cent focus is towards getting ready to play Gloucester on Saturday.

      “I have known Geordie since day dot when I came here and to see him not here is weird, don’t get me wrong. The guy has done a lot for Leicester Tigers and it just shows the professional sport, the professional world, it’s very ruthless. 

      “Geordie did his utmost, a 100 per cent man, always wanted the best for Leicester Tigers and having spoken to him on the phone a few times over the weekend, he is digesting the news. Devastated, don’t get me wrong, but digesting it and throwing himself into other things.

      “I do think we are heading in the right direction,” continued Youngs. “We made some good building blocks last season. We had to swop the team around. Steve looked to grow our team and give some boys real experience.”

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      The exit of Murphy followed the recent loss of two assistant coaches, attack coach Rob Taylor and scrum coach Boris Stankovich. Borthwick said: “In the background, we are looking and making plans from the coaching perspective. In terms of management perspective (regarding the Murphy vacancy) that is not my area… you would have to ask board members, Andrea Pinchen, the CEO, to give clarity on that process.

      “From a head coaching perspective we are very fortunate we have got two very good young coaches that have stepped up and joined coaching the first team. They have been around the first team since I came in on July 1, Matt Smith and Tom Harrison, and that’s what we are continuing with whilst processes are in place.”

      Leicester were also adamant they will be able to fulfil their 2020/21 opening fixture following the reopening of their Oval Park training ground after it was shut to prevent the spread of a coronavirus outbreak. Some players won’t be available to play this weekend due to the virus, though.        

      “We had enough cases that meant the right thing to do was to immediately close the training ground and players do individual training,” said Borthwick. “It was the right decision to ensure that we clamped down as quickly as we could on any spread of the virus… yeah, there are players who will be missing for various reasons, including the virus.”

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      JW 1 hour ago
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      Lol you need to shoot your editor for that headline, even I near skipped the article.


      France simply need to go to a league format for the Brennus, that will shave two weekends of pointless knockout rugby from their season and raise the competitions standards and mystique no end.


      The under age loophole is also a easy door to shut, just remove the lower age limit. WR simply never envisioned a day were teams would target people under the age of 17 or whatever it is now, but much like with Rassie and his use of subs bench, that day was obviously always going to come. I can’t remember how football does it, I think it’s the other way around with them, you can’t sign anyone younger than that but unions can’t stop 17 or 18 yo’s from leaving for a pro club if they want to. There is a transaction that takes place of a few hundred thousand for a normal average player. I’d prefer rugby to be stricter and just keep the union bodies signoff being required.


      What really was their problem with Kite and co leaving though? Do we really need a game dominated by Internationals? I even think WR’s proposed calendar might be a bit too much, with at minimum 12 top tier games being played in the World Championship. I think 10 to 12, maybe any one player playing 10 of those 12 is the best way to think of it, for every international team is max, so that they can allow their domestic comps to shine if they want, and other nations like Japan and Fiji can, even some of the home nations maybe, and fill out their calendar with extra tours if they like them as a way to make money. As it is RA don’t have as good a pathway system, so they could simply buy back those players if they turn good. Are they worried they’ll be less likely to? We wait for baited breath for the new season to be laid out in front of us by WR.

      It could impose sanctions on the Fédération Française de Rugby, but the body which runs the Top 14 and the ProD2, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, is entirely independent.

      It’s not independent at all. The LNR is a body under, and commissioned by, the FFR (and Government control) to mediate the clubs. FFR can simply install a new club competition if they don’t listen, then you’d see whether the players want to stay at any club who doesn’t tow the line and move to the new competition, as they obviously wouldn’t fall under the auspice of world rugby. They would be rebels, which is fine in and upon itself, but they would isolate themselves from the rest of the game and would need to be OK with that. I have no doubt whatsoever that clubs would have to and want to fall in line to remain part of the EPCR and French rugby. Probably even the last thing they would want is to compete with another French domestic competition that has all the advantages they don’t.


      All those players would do good for a few seasons in France, especially the fringe ones, with thankfully zero risk of them being poached if they turn good. New Zealand had a turn at keeping all of it’s talent, and while it upticked the competitiveness of the Super Rugby teams into a total dominance of Australian and South African counterparts (who were suffering more heavily than most the other way at that stage), it didn’t have as positive an effect on the next step up as ensuring young talents development is not hindered does. Essentially NZR flooded the locate market with players but inevitably it didn’t think the local economy could sustain any more pro teams itself, so now we are seeing a normal amount of exodus for the availability of places again. Are Australia in exactly the same footing? I think so, finances where dicey for a while perhaps but I doubt they are putting money constraints on their contracting now. It’s purely about who leaves to open up opportunity.

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