Cheika: Leicester Tigers Emerged from “Crevasse” After Recent Losses

Head coach Michael Cheika commended his Leicester Tigers team, including try-scorer Solomone Kata and Josh Bassett, for their successful recovery and return to winning ways after consecutive defeats had left them in a “hole.” On Saturday, the Tigers secured their inaugural victory in this season’s Investec Champions Cup, overwhelmingly defeating the South African team Sharks by a score of 56-17. This win followed a substantial loss to Bordeaux in their competition opener a week prior, and a Premiership defeat against Sale Sharks at the start of the month. Speaking to BBC Radio Leicester, Cheika stated, “We fell in a little crevasse and we were stuck there after the Sale game. It didn’t go for us, but that happens. You then have to work your way back up and out of that hole and back up on to the mountain where you want to go.” Reflecting on the challenges of December after Saturday’s triumph, Cheika expressed a positive outlook, noting that the insights gained from their defeats would be crucial. He added, “We have worked hard on that without panicking. There are things we could have done better, yes sure, in all three games, but we have worked our way step by step through.” Cheika, who previously led Leinster to a European Cup victory as head coach, emphasized that the Tigers must now “understand what we have got” from the preceding weeks and ensure they “bring that to the next game” when they face fellow Premiership high-flyers Bristol Bears. The Tigers currently occupy the position immediately below the second-placed Bears, who, after seven games, are level on points with Premiership leaders Bath. Regarding Saturday’s home fixture against Bristol, Cheika remarked, “That is going to be a cracker. It’s going to be a huge game for us.”