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'We never engaged a lawyer... no lawyer was in any Zoom call'
By Liam Heagney
Leicester Tigers have played down speculation that a lawyer was engaged to act on behalf of players allegedly unhappy with the across the board pay cut recently enforced on the squad due to the coronavirus pandemic. Captain Tom Youngs and coach Geordan Murphy, who will soon move upstairs to a director of rugby role to accommodate the arrival of Steve Borthwick as head coach, appeared on the latest episode of Leicester Tigers TV Weekly to tease out recent media reports that have not reflected well on the club.
“We never engaged a lawyer,” insisted Youngs. “No lawyer was in any Zoom call. Some guys may have gone to get information. Greg Bateman and Ellis Genge have been mentioned in there, they have been brilliant in their work. Greg is the RPA rep, he’s getting information and getting it to the player group so we can get a clear picture of how this is all working. They have done a fantastic job.
“From the playing group it has always been about helping the club through this time, but it had to be regarding us understanding what it entails and implies.
“We have had a good dialogue this week and really good questions have been answered, and answers have been given to give a clear understanding of what it is all about. This is about the whole club, players and staff, everyone being in it to make sure the club survives this tough time.”
Coach Murphy added: “Guys were slightly confused in the beginning and everyone sought advice, we have tried to keep the playing group involved. This week there have been Zoom calls with the chairman, chief executive, chief operating officer and myself with the playing group.
“We had really constructive conversations with every member of the squad involved. Everyone had their opportunity to comment, we want to work on this together.”
This Leicester update has taken place amid speculation elsewhere that frustrated Premiership players are considering setting up a breakaway player union due to dissatisfaction over how the Rugby Players’ Association (the RPA) have acted during the coronavirus pandemic.
Amid across the board pay cuts enforced by the clubs, Damian Hopley’s longstanding union have been accused of ‘not turning up’ in the crisis due to its heavy reliance on funding from Premiership Rugby.
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Latest Comments
John, McKenzie was 10 years ago and he only lasted 15 months until the disgustingly unfair affair that brought him down. I thought that if he didn't get another gig over Eddie V2 then he was done. I read that he had been approached but declined to put his name in the ring.
There are no potential Wallaby coaches outside of McKellar unless you have some inside info?
Go to commentsThe way they are defending is sometime pathetic to be honest. Itoje is usually on the inside of the rush and he is paired with a slower tight forward. Unable to keep up with the rush we have seen the line become disconnected on the inside where the big boys are. How many times have we seen Earl rush past the first receiver almost into no mans land covering no attacker. It looks like a system without any guidance. Tome Wright, Ikitau and a number of Wallabies went back to this soft centre as did Williams, Jordan and several others. Also when the line is broken the multiple lines of defence seems to be missing. The rush is predicated on a cover and recovery system with multiple lines of defence but with England you dont see it any more. Fitness and conditioning seems to be off as well as players are struggling to keep up with the intensity of the rush. Felix Jones has left a huge hole. The whole situation was and is a mess. Why they insist on not letting him go and having him work remotely is beyond me. Its leading to massive negative press and is a hot button issue thats distracting from the squad. Also the communication around Jones and his role has been absolute rubbish and is totally disjointed. While some say he is working remotely and playing a role others are saying theres been no contact. His role has not been defined and so people keep asking and keep getting different answers. England need a clean break from him and need to start over. Whatever reason for his leaving its time to cut the rope before the saga drags the whole Borthwick regime down. As for Joe El Abd well good luck to him. He is being made to look like an amateur by the whole saga and he is being asked to coach a system thats not his and which has been perfected and honed since 2017 by Nienaber, Jones, Erasmus and Co and which was first started by White in 2004. He is literally trying to figure out a system pioneered by double world cup winning coaches at the highest level and coach it at the same time. Talk about being on a hiding to nothing.
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