Victory on a brutally chilly Swansea evening marked the start of the tip of Steve Borthwick’s time with Leicester and was a becoming option to begin the lengthy goodbye.
Borthwick stays the RFU’s needed man to succeed the sacked Eddie Jones as England head coach and it’s now a matter of time till he steps into the Twickenham hotseat.
Negotiations between the RFU and Leicester stay ongoing. It has left Borthwick, who once more reiterated he expects to be in command of the Tigers in opposition to Clermont on Saturday, in a difficult place. Borthwick would not and by no means will do headline quotes. This can be a man who focuses on the job at hand and is spectacular at doing simply that.
Steve Borthwick (L) led Leicester to victory over Ospreys in what may have been his ultimate sport. Borthwick can also be in talks with the RFU over changing the sacked Eddie Jones
Leicester managed the sport to safe the win in brutal circumstances in Wales on Sunday
Even with out key figures Freddie Steward and Ben Youngs, Leicester’s second string have been too good for an Ospreys squad boasting 651 caps of Take a look at expertise.
It allowed the Tigers to start out their Champions Cup marketing campaign with an important away win with Clermont at house up subsequent.
There stays an excellent probability will probably be Borthwick’s final sport in cost.
‘My head is on Clermont on Saturday,’ mentioned Borthwick, when questioned on his ongoing hyperlinks with England.
‘I’ve at all times mentioned since I began right here two years in the past we solely look to the subsequent week.
‘As quickly as the ultimate whistle occurs, my head is on the subsequent sport.’ Borthwick is not any headline author’s dream, however he can definitely coach. That was evidenced by how he helped information Leicester to their newest success. The Tigers have been removed from dominant right here.
Borthwick has insisted his head continues to be targeted on Leicester and their subsequent sport on Saturday
Their scrum was demolished by the house pack within the first half, with Ospreys loosehead Nicky Smith forcing England prop Joe Heyes to be yellow carded. Heyes didn’t return to the sector.
Smith, discarded by Wales below their former head coach Wayne Pivac, additionally scored a close-range strive on the finish of the primary half because the Ospreys led 10-6 on the break.
The primary half was no basic.
Charlie Atkinson booted two Leicester penalties, however the Tigers have been far and wide on the set-piece. Their scrum was in reverse and their line-out wobbled.
The Ospreys wore a garish multi-coloured package, however their rugby was something however fancy as they regarded to dominate up entrance. To a level, it labored. However their self-discipline was poor.
Toby Sales space’s aspect additionally misplaced Wales powerhouse George North within the build-up to Smith’s strive.
Charlie Atkinson kicked two penalties for Leicester in a ragged first half in Swansea
‘It is a cheekbone. He has acquired an enormous bump below his eye,’ Ospreys head coach Sales space mentioned of North.
‘He has acquired some neural ache. We cannot know the character of it till the swelling goes down, however he’s fairly uncomfortable in the mean time.’ Leicester have been much better within the second half and their efficiency was lit up by some brilliance from England’s forgotten man Anthony Watson, who has struggled badly with damage.
Watson hasn’t performed Take a look at rugby since 2021, however he was someplace near his finest in south Wales as he dominated the air and scored an exquisite, scintillating strive.
Harry Potter went over to attain his aspect’s first strive of the sport earlier than Anthony Watson’s magical rating
Leicester’s first rating got here from an Atkinson cross-kick which uncovered Keelan Giles. Harry Potter pounced to attain. Then got here Watson’s second of brilliance.
With nothing on in midfield, Watson jinked by means of a seemingly impregnable hole to race to the road.
It was a uncommon second of real class in entrance of a disappointing crowd of 5,428 which confirmed the Champions Cup is just not what it as soon as was by way of attracting rugby supporters.
Watson, 28, scored the strive of the sport in a uncommon second of real class within the match
The previous England man jinked by means of a seemingly impregnable hole to race to the road in what was a shocking solo effort
‘I believed the character of the crew was magnificent,’ Borthwick mentioned.
‘We performed our coronary heart out and located a option to win. I believed the third quarter was very robust after a troublesome spell.
‘That was the Welsh Take a look at crew, wasn’t it? I believed Anthony confirmed his class. I’m so happy for him. He’s getting stronger. His tempo is getting quicker and quicker.’ This was a twelfth straight Champions Cup defeat for the Ospreys, who grabbed a late comfort by means of Morgan Morris. They haven’t overwhelmed an English aspect since 2017.
‘You spend a hell of a number of effort to get into the primary competitors and to then not carry out is disappointing,’ mentioned Sales space.
‘We have to go to Montpellier and play the French champions after the English ones and get a win of their yard. It’ll be very troublesome.’
Scorers Ospreys Tries: Smith, Morris Cons: Walsh (2) Pens: Walsh
Leicester Tigers Tries: Potter, Watson Cons: Atkinson (2) Pens: Atkinson (3)
Leicester’s future is unclear by way of who might be in command of the crew, however they produced on the pitch on the weekend
