Leicester Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick

Steve Borthwick rubbishes talk of records

Tigers boss Steve Borthwick is not distracted by talk of records as his Tigers side look to make it 12 successive wins this term.

Tigers travel the short distance to on Sunday to play neighbours on Sunday.

The talk of records won't distract Borthwick as his side prepare for the challenge of Wasps.

He said: “I don't take the players beyond the very next game. That's the approach we have taken since the day I walked in to .

“We are not talking about any number of wins that have gone before, and we are not talking about potential permutations in the future. We are just talking about now.

“For me, that is a much simpler way of looking at it. The level of competition in the Premiership is that any team can beat any team.

“If you take your eye off for a moment, you live in the past for a little bit too long or you live too far in the future for a little bit too long, if you do either of those things then you are going to get beaten because of the standard of the opponents.

“I am pretty clear about how we want to play, pretty clear about the direction we need to go and how we need to train to get there, and pretty clear about what we need to do in reshaping the squad.”

Tigers last defeat was last season against Bears on June 5th. Currently, Borthwick's side sit nine points clear at the top of the Premiership – with sat in second.

On Sunday, Tigers emphatically beat 31-0.

Coronavirus

Amidst the ongoing surge in coronavirus cases around the world and in the sport of rugby, Borthwick feels that ‘normal' needs to be adapted in the current times.

He added: “The situation is always changing. That is what I have found this last year and a half.

“You select a team, you train a team and you have got to adapt in the week. That adaptability is important.

“I think every squad is affected by Covid right now in the sense of the way you have to conduct yourself, the way you have to do meetings, the way you have your training programme set out.

“It's not the way you would do it normally, but it's the way you have got to do it now to minimise any risk. It is a challenging time for everybody.

“We will do all we can in every game to make sure we can field a team. If that means we play players out of position, as long as the safety issues are fine, then that's what we will do.

“We want to play the games in front of our fans, we want the contests, so whatever is thrown at us, we just have to get on with it.”

Leicester's visit Wasps this Sunday (9th January) with a 15:00 kick off.

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