“We are a traditional rugby club. This is not a criticism, but go to Allianz Park and it’s manufactured. The whole thing is literally a bit plastic. Here it’s about and tradition, the town and generations of people who played and watched the club. We are different, not better or worse.”
There is, even so, ground to make up. Leicester are a distant fourth, 16 points behind Saracens but shooting for a Premiership semi-final that could take them to Sarries’ “plastic” all-weather surface at Hendon. Far from a Big Apple bonding jolly, Leicester’s idea of a break last week was just to have seven days off.
The Tigers will also finish their regular programme against Saracens at Welford Road on Saturday week, after their awkward away game with Sale this Saturday. Sale’s ex-England wing Mark Cueto will be an absentee, out for what remains of the season with his long-standing calf/back injury.
“We’ll miss his leadership and physicality, and that’s Leicester’s first port of call,” said Sale coach Steve Diamond, an old antagonist of Cockerill. “But we’ll have our biggest crowd of the season and have to put in a big performance.”
After playing throughout the Six Nations at the age of 20, England wing Jack Nowell will miss the Test series in New Zealand in June after an operation to rectify a chronic knee injury.
Article source: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/dec/29/rugby-union-premiership-roundup-harlequins-saracens
Leicester Tigers not intimidated by soaring Saracens
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