Ollie Phillips: Leicester need to manage expectations after O’Connor’s departure, Lam has Bristol aiming high and Cipriani pulling strings for Gloucester
Anyone who plays Exeter away from home first game of the season are always going to be in for a rough ride.
But Leicester Tigers’ crushing 40-6 defeat last weekend had far-reaching consequences, with head coach Matt O’Connor sacked just 48 hours later.
Typically after one game you don’t change coach. It’s unusual behaviour and indicates that something has gone seriously wrong – and not just on the pitch.
Read more: Ollie Phillips' Premiership preview: Saracens still the side to beat
Not many teams win at Sandy Park but I think it was more the fashion in which they lost: they made it into Exeter’s 22 once and didn’t offer any attacking threat.
Leicester’s chief executive Simon Cohen said O’Connor’s dismissal was due to board recommendations not being implemented.
From the outside it sounds like a case of visions not being aligned between the hierarchy and the coach.
The performances under O’Connor haven’t been great. Since his departure there have been rumours he lost the dressing room, so perhaps his methodology wasn’t resonating with the players. If that was the case he was always on a slippery slope.
Leicester were completely out-classed by Exeter at Sandy Park last weekend (Source: Getty)
If somebody is disregarding the organisation’s directions they are always in trouble. Maybe O’Connor was a bit stubborn and that doesn’t work at Leicester.
On the other hand, if you’re going to give someone responsibility to coach the side you need to let them shape it into their own identity, at least then the buck stops with them.
However, I also believe there’s a sense that the club are still revelling in past glories. I think the board believe Leicester are a championship winning side, despite missing out on the play-offs for the first time in 14 years last season.
There is more needed than just getting rid of the coach, but it’s not panic stations yet. They aren’t a disaster side – a challenge for the top four isn’t beyond them.
Former Leicester player Geordan Murphy has taken over following Matt O'Connor's departure (Source: Getty)
Geordan Murphy has been given the reins. He was a fantastic player who embodies everything that is great about the club. It’s a massive responsibility for someone only cutting his teeth as a coach, but his shoulders are broad enough to take it.
The days of Martin Johnson, Neil Back, Graham Rowntree are gone. Their forward pack doesn’t strike fear into the opposition, they can’t bully sides off the park, they are not the richest club and they don’t have the most internationals.
Leicester need to be realistic and manage their expectations.
Lam’s magic touch
Elsewhere, I’ve been impressed by Pat Lam’s impact at newly-promoted Bristol.
It was by no means a world-class performance to beat Bath 17-10, but to have come away from a local derby first game of the season against a side who are bank-rolled to the hilt and want to be challenging for the top four is a strong start.
Pat Lam has big ambitions for Bristol following their promotion from the Championship (Source: Getty)
Their collective mentality is obviously strong, because they were without their injured star player Charles Piatau.
It was admirable stuff for a side that are aiming to stay in the league – even if Lam is talking about reaching the Champions Cup. Their expectations are clearly high. The battle to avoid relegation could provide some surprises.
Cipriani off the mark
Gloucester were outstanding in their win over Northampton and Danny Cipriani was undoubtedly the star.
The fly-half was the talk of the town again, but for all the right reasons, pulling the strings to put himself in contention for the autumn internationals.
Wasps showed their fragility, only beating Worcester by one point. They’re going to have to improve if they’re going to assume a position in the top four.
Danny Cipriani is still in England contention after starting the season well with Gloucester (Source: Getty)
Paul Gustard’s first competitive game in charge of Harlequins went perfectly with a high-scoring home victory against Sale. They really cut loose in the second half to secure a bonus point and Quins fans will definitely be encouraged ahead of their trip to Northampton tomorrow.
I wrote last week that Newcastle would struggle to replicate last season’s form, but their narrow loss to champions Saracens showed I might be wrong.
Saracens perhaps aren’t a fair barometer, but when you’ve got a genius like Vereniki Govena you’ve always got a chance of winning.
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