One man does not make a rugby club but, for those inside Leicester’s dressing room, the departure of Richard Cockerill is a serious cultural shock. “It’ll be different and probably quieter … the swearing volume might be down,” says Dan Cole, reflecting on the downfall of a coach whom the England prop has known since the age of 16. “He’s always been here so it’ll be uncharted territory.” Not since Dean Richards left in 2004 have Tiger emotions been so visibly torn.
The way Cole tells it, the current playing squad also feel a twinge of guilt: “You do, because you are responsible for wins and losses on the field. As players you look back and think: ‘Could I have said or done more?’ You are tinged with a slight sense of guilt because, ultimately, we haven’t won a game and a man’s lost his job.” Leicester’s loyal tighthead is among the game’s most unflappable individuals but even he sounds shaken. The only slight consolation has been the chance to say a personal farewell to Cockerill this week: “Sometimes we have had people here who have been fired and you never see them again.”
Wallowing in self-pity, though, is never an option in the east Midlands. All anyone wants to hear is when, precisely, the old, indomitable Leicester will re-emerge? Are the club still a genuine force or have their supposedly timeless qualities become a contemporary weakness? As a senior player, local lad and tight forward, the 29-year-old Cole is all too aware of the lofty standards all Tigers must aspire to. “Leicester, for me growing up, was your [Martin] Johnsons, your ABC club, your Dean Richards, your Martin Corrys – big forwards, with a bit of flair in the backs occasionally. That was our identity. Being a front-row forward, that was bred into me. Unfortunately, that only gets you so far. One form of rugby will get you 70-80% of the way if you are really good at it but, to top it off, you need to be able do more things.”
So what next? With the Cockerill years now colourful history, the board’s next move feels like a defining one. Sides like Saracens, Wasps, Glasgow and Exeter have left the Tigers choking on their exhaust fumes and the choice of two ball-sniffing opensides, Will Evans and Brendan O’Connor, to start against Wasps on Sunday, seems a pointed statement from Aaron Mauger, now in interim charge. “I’d be saying black and Cockers would be saying white,” muttered Mauger this week and, from the outset, here is the selectorial proof.
Cole, of course, knows what it is like to embark down the road to redemption; the transformation in England’s fortunes since Eddie Jones was appointed just over a year ago has been profound. “We’ve all learned from Eddie,” says Cole, capped 69 times by his country. “If you want to buy in that’s fine; if you don’t, you’re out and he’ll bring someone else in.” A similarly ruthless streak was once the hallmark of the Tigers’ operation but Cole confirms the notorious training ground fights have grown rarer – “All these millennials, blame them” – as the professional game has evolved.
A bigger issue was the differing views of Mauger and Cockerill on how best to generate front-foot dynamism while staying faithful to Leicester’s traditions. “It’s not a bad thing to have different philosophies sometimes,” says Cole. “If you just have yes-men all the time you’ll only get one way but there have been times when Cockers wants it tighter and Maug wants it looser.”
So did the players, collectively, speak to the board about this confusion? Cole hesitates momentarily before replying. “I would say we played a part, as did everyone else in the club. People ask for your opinion and there is constant feedback with the board. So, yes, the players played a part but we didn’t have the ultimate say. There was some report that there was a players’ revolt but that wasn’t on the cards. That was never going to happen. It wasn’t as if you had one lot down one end [of the dressing room] and one lot down the other.
“The vast majority were here with one or two over there but the collective [message from] the senior players was on the same page.”
The upshot is that Mauger has survived but this is no happy-go-lucky Super Rugby franchise. “It’s not like we are going to throw out everything that Leicester is about,” insists Cole. “We can’t just try to be the All Blacks. I don’t think Mauger wants that. I think he understands the history and the ethos of the place. He understands you need a decent forward pack but obviously he is a bit more back-focused. He’s been here a year and a half, we know what he is about. I don’t think it will be that hard for the players to pick that up and run with it. I don’t think we are weighed down by past histories.”
It all adds further fuel to this Sunday’s short trip to Coventry to face the high-flying Wasps. Who should Leicester recruit as Cockerill’s all-seeing replacement? The players would ideally like a say but accept that may not happen. “It’s not our ultimate decision,” says Cole. “We’ve either got to find a bloke that matches the club’s identity or can mesh with that and take us forward.” Might the former be someone like Johnson? “You’d have to ask him that. I am not the one ringing around trying to get a director of rugby.”
Whatever happens, the Tigers’ hunger still burns bright. “There has been a decline from the glory years,” says Cole. “If our aspiration is to win the Premiership, at this moment in time we are not good enough to do it. Part of this change is to make sure we pick up.
“As a player you grew up watching Leicester winning Premiership and European titles and you want that for yourself. You watch Saracens do it and you are envious. You want that glory. As players you have to make a decision: whether you want to swan through life or commit to it and win things. This is a big club with a big fanbase, we have good players, some great players. As a player I want better than fifth.”
