Leicester 23-16 Clermont: Steve Borthwick leads Tigers to victory
Leicester 23-16 Clermont: Steve Borthwick leads the home side to an important win as he celebrates victory with his sons… but the 43-year-old coach refuses to confirm he will be in charge for the Tigers’ next game
- Leicester beat Clermont 23-16 as they climbed to the top of their pool with win
- However, Steve Borthwick refused to confirm he would coach their next game
- Borthwick celebrated the win with his sons in the coaching box after the game
- The 43-year-old is set to take over from Eddie Jones as the England head coach
Steve Borthwick pulled his sons into the coaching box, embracing them after Leicester moved to the top of their pool. It seemed like a sentimental act. A moment of reflection as his days at Welford Road draw to a close.
A few supporters came over to ask for photographs, all with the same thought: will we see you again? In recent weeks, Borthwick has always stated he will be in charge of the next game. Last night, however, he did not indulge conversations about the Christmas Eve fixture against Gloucester, insisting he just wanted to enjoy this victory over Clermont.
Within 48 hours his new role as England’s new head coach is expected to be confirmed. His squad were informed in the dressing room and his eyes glazed over when asked if there had been any update from the RFU.
Steve Borthwick refused to confirm that he will be in charge of Leicester Tigers’ next game
‘I understand everyone has to ask the question and I know you understand why I’m saying I want to enjoy today’s result,’ he said. ‘It’s a special club. I feel privileged to be part of it and I’ve got to coach a group of players for the last two-and-a-half years that I care for deeply.’
Unless he takes charge of the team later this week, Borthwick’s farewell performance was a workmanlike victory in front of 20,000 fans.
It was solid if unspectacular, two tries scored by the forwards from lineout platforms, backed up by 13 points from Charlie Atkinson’s boot. A driving maul will become a familiar sight at Twickenham.
This was a step up in intensity from domestic competition as two of Europe’s most prestigious clubs went into battle. Few Premiership teams can afford heavy artillery such as Apisai Naqalevu, who carried the ball like a runaway sleigh, sending early shockwaves through the hosts’ defence.
In his data driven approach to coaching, Borthwick, an economics graduate, looks at kicking metres and discipline as two significant statistics to win a match.
Charlie Atkinson contributed well to Leicester Tigers’ win with 13 points from his boot
Rattling the foundations with their heavyweight carriers, Clermont had the edge in both facets for 15 minutes and took the lead with six points from the boot of Anthony Belleau. His English namesake, Tony Bellew, would have pushed for a first-round knockout, but Leicester fought back.
Clermont lost three of their pack, Arthur Iturria, Paul Jedrasiak and Etienne Falgoux, early on and Leicester capitalised. They boxed clever, keeping the ball in play, draining heavy Clermont legs after they were forced to unload their bench.
Monstrous No 8 Jasper Wiese grew into the game, carrying hard to make metres through the middle of the pitch. And after 17 minutes, as Leicester set up a lineout platform, he cut a line off Tommy Reffell, breaking three tackles to score from 22 metres out.
Nine minutes later, Hanro Liebenberg claimed a lineout and smartly manipulated his body position to transfer the ball. It is the sort of detail that is in Borthwick’s DNA and paid off, hooker Julian Montoya driving over to score.
Clermont’s discipline unravelled. Thibaud Lanen was shown a yellow card, allowing Atkinson to kick the hosts further ahead.
Jasper Wiese scored one of Leicester’s tries in a workmanlike performance in front of 20,000
But there were danger signs in the second half, as the visitors repeatedly broke into the 22. The pace of the game slowed down but Clermont’s attacks ended with turnovers and cover tackles by evergreen prop Dan Cole.
‘I remember playing against Dan on his debut for Leicester, when I was playing for Bath,’ said Borthwick. ‘I look at him now and physically he’s in fantastic shape. He embodies everything that’s good about Leicester Tigers, humble and understated.’
Centre Dan Kelly also played his part in the defensive scramble, holding up Alex Newsome over the line, while Atkinson’s boot edged Leicester to a 14-point lead.
Scrum-half Sebastien Bezy broke from the scrum to score a bonus point try for Clermont late on, but there was no time to deny Leicester victory in what could be the final act in Borthwick’s farewell tour
Leicester’s workmanlike performance in the win against Clermont is typical of Borthwick
Share this article
Source: Read Full Article