Tom Youngs' tribute to Leicester Tigers fans
Tom Youngs said the roar of the Welford Road fans helped push Leicester Tigers into the Heineken Cup quarter-final.
A packed-out crowd witnessed Tigers register a famous 9-5 victory against French champions Toulouse and qualify for the knock-out stages in Europe for the first time in two years.
With less than 100 Toulouse fans making the trip across the Channel, it left almost 24,000 Tigers fans to create an incredible atmosphere inside the stadium.
"I don't think I've heard them so loud," said Tigers and England hooker Youngs. "They were absolutely fantastic.
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"I think Cockers (director of rugby Richard Cockerill) called it in the week, saying we need all the fans behind us. We certainly had that.
"They kept us going out there. They certainly kept me going, getting me off the floor and stuff like that.
"When they are screaming behind me, I almost can't hear Geoff Parling making the calls (at the line-outs). Good job I'm turning into a good lip reader at the minute.
"It was a great game though. Cockers said before that these are games you've just got to win. Full-stop.
"It doesn't matter how you do it, you've just got to win it. And that's what we did.
"It wasn't the prettiest of occasions, we didn't play particularly well in parts, but we dogged it out, even when they were piling on the pressure, we just stuck to it."
Last Sunday's clash proved a physical encounter between two forceful forward packs.
With emotions running high, the breakdowns often resulted in a few 'afters' among the players.
"I think that's good," said Youngs. "It just shows how much both teams want it, it just gives it that much more of an edge and I'm all for that.
"There were some physically big hits out there as well, at ruck time, at scrum time, that was an absolute battle.
"There was a bit of a niggle, too, which was great.
"I think it is what a team thrives on. I really do. If you see someone get smashed, or there's a little niggle, and everyone is flying in, you just know that everyone is on the money and they all want the same outcome.
"It brings the team tighter together, knowing you have each other's backs."
The niggle seemed to continue after the game though, as the Toulouse players left the field without shaking hands with their Tigers opponents.
"They just walked off," said Youngs.
"Fair enough, if they want to play it like that, then that's their choice.
"But it doesn't make them any friends, to be honest. It's their loss."
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