Austin Healey backing Leicester Tigers to lift Premiership title
Former Leicester Tigers star Austin Healey thinks his old club will lift the Aviva Premiership trophy in May next year.
The so-called 'Leicester Lip', who is now an analyst for ESPN TV, believes Richard Cockerill's side have too much strength in depth for the league's other 11 clubs.
Tigers have reached the Twickenham final for the previous eight showpiece occasions, but have lost to Saracens and Harlequins on their last two visits.
Healey thinks it is time for that unwanted dry run to come to an end.
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"Leicester will be strong and they have strength and depth throughout the squad," he said.
"If fly-half George Ford has put on a stone and not lost any speed, he will do very well for them.
"I could even see them exploring the option of Ford and Toby Flood at fly-half and inside-centre.
"Leicester are spoilt for choice at half-back and in the centres. They are also strong in the second row especially, and I think they will win it this season."
Healey enjoyed probably his finest hour in a glittering career at the club when his virtuoso performance in the 2001 Heineken Cup final earned Tigers a thrilling win against Stade Francais in Paris.
He knows what it takes to win trophies and believes Saracens, who were Tigers' opponents at Wembley last weekend, will once again provide a stern challenge throughout the season.
"I hope Saracens change the way that they play because they can really throw the ball around when they want to," said Healey.
"They showed they could do that when they put 50 points on Leicester at the start of last season."
Healey expects little change to the sides who finished in last season's top four.
He thinks Leicester, Saracens, Harlequins and Northampton will be battling it out in the Premiership semi-finals, although he believes Bath could enjoy a change in fortunes and challenge for the top four.
"They have been flaky in terms of game management in recent years and, if they can get back to the Bath of old, they could do well," he said.
ESPN will broadcast 43 live and exclusive Aviva Premiership Rugby matches, including Leicester Tigers v Harlequins on 22nd September. For more details, visit:
ESPNscrum.com/tv
Comments
by Oadbylad
Saturday, September 22 2012, 9:28AM
“I agree with most of what you say ish...and ive been an advocate of player rotation as the French do...but they do it against the bottom teams not the champions of England
Ive all ways questioned cockerills tactical knowledge but youve got to ask why when you look at the fixture list he puts out his strongest teams against Welsh and Worcester then chooses to rest players for this game
If he had done it the other way round chances are we would still have beat those 2 teams and all be fit for this one
Last time we played Quins at Twickenham he brought on subs with 6 minutes to go ??? *** is that all about ?
Quins to win on Sky bet by 11/20 pays 13/2
lol the red arrows down here â¬â¬â¬”
by leicesterish
Saturday, September 22 2012, 7:39AM
“I hope Oz is right, I think he might be, we certainly have an impressive lineup when everyone is fit and healthy.
The Tigers fan in me hopes for a win today, but the Rugby fan that shares my consciousness suggests that a win over the champions is going to be a tall order, especially given that the likes of Murphy, Tuilagi, Cole and Waldrom are either injured, not in the squad, or are on the bench today.
The ability to rest key players is what seperates Tigers from the rest, everyone needs game-time and players can be saved now in order for them to be raring to go on the heavy post-christmas pitches (Tigers are traditionally stronger in the New Year) when other sides lose their way because their first choice guys are exhausted. Northampton suffer every year from a lack of depth, Harlequins don't have the deepest of rosters but Saracens are pretty comparible. Let's not lose our heads today, if Tigers lose, and there's a chance that they will, the sky will not fall down Chicken Licken.”