Leicester Tigers

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Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox rugby team Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.

The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its home matches at Mattioli Woods Welford Road in the south of the city. The club has been known by the nickname Tigers since at least 1885. In the 2024–25 Premiership Rugby season Tigers finished 2nd, losing the Premiership final, this entitled them to compete in the 2025–26 European Rugby Champions Cup. The current head coach is Geoff Parling who will join for the 2025–26 Premiership Rugby season.

Leicester have won 21 major titles. They were European Champions twice, back-to-back in 2001 and 2002; have won a record 11 English Championships, five RFU Knockout Cups and three Anglo-Welsh Cups, most recently in 2017. Leicester most recently won the Premiership Rugby title in the 2022 season, and appeared in a record nine successive Premiership finals, from 2005 to 2013. Leicester is one of only three teams never to have been relegated from the top division. Leicester have appeared in five European finals, the third most overall, as well as the two victories they have also lost finals three times, in 1997, 2007 and 2009. In 2021 they played in the European Rugby Challenge Cup final.

Six Leicester Tigers players were members of the 2003 Rugby World Cup final-winning Template:Nrut side, including captain Martin Johnson.

History

Template:Main

Foundation and Tom Crumbie era (1880–1928)

Leicester Tigers in 1894

Leicester Football Club was formed on 3 August 1880 by the merger of three smaller teams: Leicester Athletic Society, Leicester Amateurs and Leicester Alert.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Sfn The club's first game was a scoreless draw on 23 October against Moseley at the Belgrave Road Cycle and Cricket Ground.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Sfn On 10 September 1892 Leicester played their first game at Welford Road against a Leicestershire XV.Template:Sfn

Tom Crumbie was appointed secretary on 2 August 1895, a position he held for the next 33 years.Template:Sfn Crumbie has been credited with dragging the club to national prominence. He disbanded reserve and third teams making the First XV an invitation side and introducing players from all over the country.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Tigers first silverware was the Midlands Counties Cup won for the first time in 1898 against Moseley.Template:Sfn Having won the Midlands Counties Cup every year from 1898 to 1905, they dropped out "to give other teams a chance".<ref>The Tigers Tale, Page 19, D.Hands, Template:ISBN</ref> On their return to the competition in 1909 Tigers won the cup again.Template:Sfn

Leicester's match against Racing club de France in February 1923

In 1903 Jack Miles became the first home-produced England international.Template:Sfn Leicester's status as a premier club was confirmed in 1905 when a crowd of 20,000 was on hand to see the club face The Original All Blacks, losing 28–0.Template:Sfn December 1909 saw Tigers play the Barbarians for the first time, holding them to a 9–9 draw. The fixture became a vital feature in the club's calendar delivering large attendances until open professionalism and league rugby in the 1990s forced it to gradually be abandoned due to fixture congestion. Tigers won the Midlands Counties Cup three more times in four years to cement their place as the midland's premier side before the outbreak of war in 1914. The visit of the Invincible All Blacks on 4 October 1924 saw a record attendance at Welford Road of 35,000 that stands to this day.Template:Sfn Tigers were beaten 27–0 by the tourists.

Lions captains, decline and club restructure (1928–1971)

Club captain Doug Prentice captained the 1930 British Lions tour to New Zealand and Australia.Template:Sfn The first BBC radio broadcast of a Tigers game was against Waterloo on 29 November 1930; Tigers won 21–5.Template:Sfn Bernard Gadney became the club's first home-produced England captain in 1934 and was captain when four Leicester players were part of the first England side to beat the All Blacks. Gadney also became the club's second player to captain the British Lions on their tour to Argentina. 1936–37 was the worst season since 1889–90 for the club with only 14 wins from 39 matches.Template:Sfn

Tigers first televised game by the BBC was on 3 February 1951 when they beat London Scottish 14–0 at the Richmond Athletic Ground.Template:Sfn The club underwent a significant restructure in the 1956–57 season. The practice of being an "invitation" club featuring only a First XV stopped and Tigers adopted a more traditional membership club based approach with multiple sides. The "A XV" was to be re-introduced under the name "Extra First XV" with a third "Colts XV" also formed.Template:Sfn The 1963–64 season saw David Matthews set the record for most consecutive appearances for the club with 109.Template:Sfn Matthews was to become captain in 1965 and in 1966/67 lead the club to a record 33 wins.Template:Sfn Chalkie White became coach in 1968; the same season Tom Berry became Leicester's first President of the RFU. White was credited with revolutionising Leicester's players in response to rule changes that opened up the game. 1970/71 saw Peter Wheeler emerge as first-choice hooker having made his debut the year before, he ended the season on England's tour to the Far East. Attendance for the annual Barbarians game hit a nadir with a crowd of only 2,518.Template:Sfn

Introduction of competitions (1971–1978)

The 1971/72 season saw changes that would radically change both the club and the game. The RFU introduced a national Knockout Cup competition for clubs and on 16 November 1971 Tigers played their first competitive cup match since 1914, a 10–3 defeat to Nottingham at their Beeston ground. Also introduced that season was Tigers' first "Youth" XV, based on a collection of the best 14- and 15-year-olds in the county. Only six years later Paul Dodge became the first graduate to win an international cap.Template:Sfn

Tigers were not involved in the 1974–75 Cup and lost in the 1st round of the 1975–76 Cup. This forced the club into the Midlands qualifiers for the only time. This era saw a huge increase in the popularity of the Barbarians annual fixture with crowds of 15,000 in 1973 & 1975, 17,000 in 1974 and 21,000 in 1976. This contrasted with usual crowds in the low hundreds. Template:Sfn 1976–77 saw the introduction of regional "Merit Tables" by the RFU, the first step on the road to full leagues. Based around traditional fixtures Tigers finished second to Moseley in the Midlands Merit Table with a record of played 8 won 6.Template:Sfn It took 6 years before Leicester were drawn at home in the cup but in 1977–78 they received four in a row on their way to a first Twickenham final against Gloucester. The game ended in a 6–3 loss to the Cherry and Whites; the attendance was 25,282 – more than double the previous season. Cup success also coincided with Tigers' membership more than doubling from 750 in 1978 to 2,000 by the end of 1979.Template:Sfn

Centenary and cup and league success (1979–1988)

Leicester secured their first national trophy, the 1978–79 John Player Cup, by defeating Moseley 15–12. Tigers retained the cup in 1979–80 beating London Irish 21–9 at Twickenham in front of a record crowd of 27,000.Template:Sfn 1979–80 also saw Tigers win the Midlands Merit Table for the first time. To celebrate the club's centenary a six-match tour to Australia and Fiji was arranged in August 1980, the first undertaken by an English club in the southern hemisphere.Template:Citation needed Prestige fixtures staged at Welford Road to mark the centenary were the visit of the Irish Wolfhounds, Romania, and Queensland. Tigers retained the Midlands Merit Table title in November with an undefeated record. On 25 April 1981, Tigers' Dusty Hare broke the world record for points scored in first-class fixtures with 3,658 points.Template:Sfn Leicester retained the cup in 1980–81 by beating Gosforth 22–15.

Leicester was knocked out in the semi-finals of the 1982 Cup. This was also Chalkie White's last season with the club after 30 years as a player, administrator or coach. A new generation of players debuted in the early '80s: Dean Richards, John Wells, and Rory Underwood. In 1985 in the penultimate step towards league rugby, the Merit Table A was launched for two seasons where Tigers finished fourth and second. League rugby was launched in England with the 1987–88 Courage League and all sides now played all other sides in a round-robin. Tigers lost only one match all season and the end of the 1987–88 season Tigers became England's first official champions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tigers finished the 1988–89 Courage League in sixth place, their joint-worst ever finish.Template:Sfn During the late 1980s and early 1990s several key members of the Leicester pack came through the youth ranks and became key first-team contributors, most notably lock Martin Johnson who debuted in 1989 and later became club captain; flanker Neil Back who joined in 1990; and the front row trio of Graham Rowntree, Richard Cockerill, and Darren Garforth who started 166 games together between 1992 and 2002.Template:Sfn

Professional and European success (1993–2003)

From 1993 to 2002 Leicester enjoyed a remarkable nine trophies in ten years. This streak started when Leicester won the 1993 Pilkington Cup.Template:Sfn In 1993/94 Tigers finished runners up in the Courage League to Bath. Leicester finished as Courage League champion in 1994–95.Template:Sfn

The advent of the 1995–96 season brought two important changes: rugby union (and consequently the Tigers) became professional, and European club competition began in the form of the Heineken cup. The 1995/96 season was another of just missing out to perennial rivals Bath who secured a league and cup double after defeating Leicester in the Pilkington Cup final. In Leicester's debut season in the Heineken Cup the team reached the final, losing 28–9 against Brive. Leicester won the 1997 Pilkington Cup Final 9–3 against Sale. That summer Martin Johnson was named as captain for the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa. In February 1998 Dean Richards was appointed as Director of Rugby following Bob Dwyer's sacking.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geordan Murphy, pictured in 2012, played 322 games for Leicester between 1997 and 2013. He is the most decorated player in the club's history with 8 Premiership titles, 2 European titles and 2 Anglo-Welsh cups.

Under Richards, Leicester entered a golden age, winning four consecutive Premiership Rugby titles in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, as well as back to back Heineken Cups in 2001 and 2002. During the 1998–99 Premiership, the Tigers title was sealed in the penultimate match of the season.Template:Sfn In the 1999–2000 Premiership season Leicester retained their title. Tigers' third successive Premiership title was sealed early on 17 March 2001.Template:Sfn In the 2001 Heineken Cup final Tigers beat Stade Français 34–30 to secure the club's first continental title.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Tigers had won the inaugural Premiership playoffs the week before so also sealed an unprecedented treble.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That summer Martin Johnson was named captain for the 2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, becoming the first man to lead two tours.

Leicester became the first side to retain a European title after beating Munster 15–9 in the 2002 Heineken Cup Final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Leicester also retained their fourth successive Premiership title in 2002. This brought the club's total to six championships, tying Bath's record. During this time Leicester went 57 games unbeaten at home from 30 December 1997 to 30 November 2002 and earned 52 successive wins.Template:Sfn During these four seasons, Leicester lost only 14 games out of the 92 they played.

During the 2003–04 season, Leicester's form suffered and with eight games left in the season Dean Richards was sacked.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After Richards' departure Tigers turned to his assistant coach John Wells,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> who guided Leicester to the regular season top of the league in his only full season. In Martin Johnson and Neil Back's last game for Leicester they lost the Premiership Final to London Wasps.

Premiership success (2004–2013)

Pat Howard succeeded Wells as the Head Coach.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Howard coached the club for two seasons losing a Premiership final to Sale in his first season. Over the summer of 2006, the core of a new pack was recruited, and in Howard's second season Leicester won their first piece of silverware for five years, winning the Anglo-Welsh Cup, and sealed the club's first domestic league and cup double after winning the Premiership final 44–16 against Gloucester. However, Leicester lost the Heineken Cup final to Wasps. Howard left the club at the end of the season.<ref>Howard returns home – BBC News, 28 December 2006</ref>

Howard was succeeded for one season by the coach of Template:Nrut Marcelo Loffreda, who started after the 2007 Rugby World Cup.<ref>Loffreda named as new Tigers boss – BBC News, 25 April 2007</ref> Loffreda had a torrid time in charge despite getting to two finals. After losing the Anglo Welsh Cup final to the Ospreys, Leicester became the first side to win an away game in the Premiership playoffs by beating Gloucester in the semi-finals, but lost to Wasps in the final. After this final Loffreda was sacked.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Tom Croft made his debut in 2006 after coming through the club's academy, he played 173 games before retiring in 2017

Heyneke Meyer was the board's choice to replace Loffreda, but family circumstances led to his resignation.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Richard Cockerill took over, the appointment was confirmed as permanent on 17 April 2009.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> Cockerill lead Leicester to two Premiership titles in as many years. In the 2009 Premiership final Leicester beat London Irish 10–9,<ref name="2009 Prem Final">Template:Cite web</ref> and Tigers retained their title the following year as they defeated Saracens 33–27.<ref name="2010 Prem Final">Template:Cite web</ref> After an historic placing kicking competition decided the 2009 Heineken Cup semi-final, Leicester lost the 2009 Heineken Cup final to Irish province Leinster. On Friday 6 November 2009 Leicester hosted the world champion Springboks of South Africa and the young Leicester side triumphed 22–17.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Domestic success continued with Tigers reaching Premiership finals but losing in 2011 and 2012, against Saracens and Harlequins respectively, and winning the 2012 LV Cup.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2013 Tigers won their record extending 10th English title defeating local rivals Northampton Saints 37–17.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Championship drought (2013–2020)

The next year Northampton beat Tigers 21–20 in the Premiership semi final at Franklin's Gardens.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The next two years Tigers suffered heavy away defeats in the semi-finals to Bath (47–10)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Saracens (44–17).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On Monday 2 January 2017, Leicester sacked Richard Cockerill as Director of Rugby.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Aaron Mauger was placed in temporary charge of the team,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> winning the 2017 Anglo-Welsh Cup, until Matt O'Connor was announced as the new head coach.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Under O'Connor Tigers secured their 13th consecutive playoff appearance where they lost narrowly to Wasps 21–20.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2017–18 season successive home defeats to Northampton and Newcastle in Leicester's final two home games saw Tigers miss the playoffs for the first time since 2005.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> After a 40–6 defeat in the opening game of the 2018–19 Premiership Rugby season<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> O'Connor was sacked by the club with immediate effect.<ref name="MOC sacked">Template:Cite press release</ref> Geordan Murphy was placed in charge of the side on an interim basis.<ref name="MOC sacked"/> Murphy was then made the permanent head coach on 18 December 2018 despite the team being on an eight match losing run.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Results did not improve and a final day defeat against Bath saw Leicester finish 11th in the Premiership, their worst ever finish.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After a delayed start to the season due to the 2019 Rugby World Cup Tigers fortunes did not improve, and on 21 January 2020 it was announced after months of speculation that England's forwards coach Steve Borthwick would join the club as head coach once his duties with England were finished.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His start was later confirmed as July 2020.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 16 March 2020 the 2019–20 Premiership Rugby season was suspended for 5 weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with group training suspended indefinitely on 23 March.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the cancellation of games the club implemented 25% wage cuts on all staff, including players,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> on 22 April 2020 it was reported that Tigers players were unhappy with this and had engaged a solicitor to represent them, though this was quickly denied,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> on 11 May 2020 CEO Simon Cohen left the club after an 8-year tenure and was replaced by Andrea Pinchen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 4 June 2020 it was revealed that Tigers were set to lose up to £5m of revenue during the coronavirus enforced shutdown,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> eventually making 31 employees redundant.<ref name="Tuilagi contract">Template:Cite news</ref> On 29 June it was reported that the pay dispute which started in April could result in several players leaving the club after refusing to cut their pay,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with 5 players including Manu Tuilagi and Telusa Veainu leaving later that week after refusing to amend their contracts in light of the global pandemic.<ref name="Tuilagi contract"/>

The completion of the delayed 2019–20 Premiership Rugby season between August and October saw another 11th-place finish for Leicester, saved from relegation only by a points deduction from Saracens for breaching the salary cap. On 13 November 2020, just 8 days before the start of the 2020–21 Premiership Rugby season Geordan Murphy left as director of rugby in a decision described as "mutual".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Borthwick in charge (2020–2022)

With new head coach Steve Borthwick now in charge of team selection Leicester got off to a winning start against Gloucester.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In his first season at the club Borthwick guided Leicester to the 2020–21 European Rugby Challenge Cup final and 6th place in the league, securing Champions Cup rugby for the first time in two years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Tigers started the following season strongly, five wins in the opening five rounds was the club's best start in the Premiership era,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the club remained unbeaten for 15 games in all competitions, the second best start to a season ever,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but failed to tie the record after losing to Wasps on 9 January 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A week later Leicester overcame an 18-point deficit in the second half to beat Connacht, a Hosea Saumaki try sealing the win on the final play of the game, and secure progress to their first Champions Cup knock out stages since 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In Europe, Leicester progressed past Clermont Auvergne over two legs, despite getting red cards in both matches,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref> but lost at home to Leinster 23–14, after falling behind 20–0 in the first half to the Irish side.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Domestically they secured a first home play-off semi final since 2013, with two games to spare, after a 56–26 win against Bristol Bears.<ref name="Bristol">Template:Cite news</ref> Tigers' winger Chris Ashton broke the Premiership Rugby all-time try scoring record in this match, his hat-trick taking him to 95 career league tries.<ref name="Bristol"/> In the semi-final they faced local rivals Northampton Saints, but much of the build up was focused on recently retired former captain Tom Youngs whose wife, Tiffany, died from cancer in week preceding the match. His brother Ben Youngs started the match, and it was his half back partner George Ford who inspired the victory scoring a "full house" with a try, conversion, penalty & drop goal for 22 points in a 27–13 win.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the final Leicester faced Saracens, a re-match of the 2010 & 2011 finals. Ford wasn't to last long in the final withdrawing injured in the 23rd minute & being replaced by Freddie Burns. With the matching tied 12–12 it was Burns who scored the 80th-minute drop goal to win Leicester their 11th English title, only two seasons after finishing in 11th place.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Speculation began that Borthwick was in line to succeed Eddie Jones as England head coach after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but after a poor 2022 Autumn internationals Jones was replaced by Borthwick on 19 December 2022. He was initially replaced as Leicester head coach in an interim capacity by Richard Wigglesworth, the club's starting scrum half in the 2022 Premiership final & previous attack coach. On 22 February 2023, it was announced that Dan McKellar would take the role on a full time basis from 1 July 2023, previously having been Template:Nrut's forwards coach.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Coaching instability (2023–)

After a single season, the third worst in the club's league history, McKellar was dismissed on 22 June 2024.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 27 June 2024, Tigers appointed fellow Australian Michael Cheika as the new head coach on an initial one-year deal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In February 2025, it was announced that Cheika himself would be stepping down following the conclusion of his contract at the end of the 2024–25 season. Former Leicester prop and ex-Munster head coach Graham Rowntree was the rumoured frontrunner to replace him for the following season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Leicester were reported to have agreed terms with Paul Gustard and to have made an offer to Leon MacDonald,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> before on 12 May 2025, it was confirmed that former England and Lions second-row Geoff Parling would succeed Cheika as the new Head Coach of Leicester Tigers on a long-term deal from the 2025–26 season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Leicester finished the regular season in 2nd, beating Newcastle on the final day to secure a home play off semi-final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They beat Sale 21-16, taking a half-time lead through two tries from Adam Radwan, before Sale drew level through former-Tiger George Ford, Izaia Perese scored the winning try with his first touch breaking from 40 meters out.<ref name="2025 SF 1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="2025 SF 2">Template:Cite news</ref> Tigers lost the final 23–21 against Bath,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with coach Cheika highlighting what he felt was poor refereeing in several areas of the match.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Women's team

Template:Main Leicester Tigers formed a women's team on 15 July 2021,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> launched in partnership with Lichfield Ladies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Season summary

Season League Domestic cup European cup
Competition Position Points Play-offs Competition Performance Competition Performance
1971–72 John Player Cup 1st round
1972–73 John Player Cup Quarter-final
1973–74 John Player Cup 1st round
1974–75 John Player Cup Did not qualify
1975–76 John Player Cup 1st round
1976–77 Midlands Merit 2nd 75% John Player Cup 2nd round
1977–78 Midlands Merit 5th 62.5% John Player Cup Finalist
1978–79 Midlands Merit 2nd 85.7% John Player Cup Champions
1979–80 Midlands Merit 1st 85.7% John Player Cup Champions
1980–81 Midlands Merit 1st 92.9% John Player Cup Champions
1981–82 Midlands Merit 1st 85.7% John Player Cup Semi-final
1982–83 Midlands Merit 1st 100% John Player Cup Finalist
1983–84 Midlands Merit 1st 100% John Player Cup 3rd round
1984–85 National Merit A
Midlands Merit
6th
3rd
42.9%
85.7%
John Player Cup Quarter-final
1985–86 National Merit A 4th 70% John Player Cup Semi-final
1986–87 National Merit A 2nd 75% John Player Cup Semi-final
1987–88 Courage League Division 1 1st 37 John Player Cup 4th round
1988–89 Courage League Division 1 6th 13 Pilkington Cup Finalist
1989–90 Courage League Division 1 5th 12 Pilkington Cup Quarter-final
1990–91 Courage League Division 1 4th 16 Pilkington Cup 4th round
1991–92 Courage League Division 1 6th 13 Pilkington Cup Semi-final
1992–93 Courage League Division 1 3rd 18 Pilkington Cup Champions
1993–94 Courage League Division 1 2nd 28 Pilkington Cup Finalist
1994–95 Courage League Division 1 1st 31 Pilkington Cup Semi-final
1995–96 Courage League Division 1 2nd 30 Pilkington Cup Finalist
1996–97 Courage League Division 1 4th 29 Pilkington Cup Champions Heineken Cup Finalist
1997–98 Premiership 4th 26 Tetley's Bitter Cup 5th round Heineken Cup Quarter-final
1998–99 Premiership 1st 44 Tetley's Bitter Cup Quarter-final Did not enter N/A
1999–2000 Premiership 1st 51 Tetley's Bitter Cup 5th round Heineken Cup Group stage
2000–01 Premiership 1st 81 Champions* Tetley's Bitter Cup Semi-final Heineken Cup Champions
2001–02 Premiership 1st 83 Quarter-final* Powergen Cup Quarter-final Heineken Cup Champions
2002–03 Premiership 6th 55 Wildcard winner Powergen Cup Semi-final Heineken Cup Quarter-final
2003–04 Premiership 5th 55 Wildcard winner Powergen Cup 6th round Heineken Cup Group stage
2004–05 Premiership 1st 78 Finalist Powergen Cup 6th round Heineken Cup Semi-final
2005–06 Premiership 2nd 68 Finalist Powergen Cup Semi-final Heineken Cup Quarter-final
2006–07 Premiership 2nd 71 Champions EDF Energy Cup Champions Heineken Cup Finalist
2007–08 Premiership 4th 64 Finalist EDF Energy Cup Finalist Heineken Cup Group stage
2008–09 Premiership 1st 71 Champions EDF Energy Cup Group stage Heineken Cup Finalist
2009–10 Premiership 1st 73 Champions LV Cup Group stage Heineken Cup Group stage
2010–11 Premiership 1st 78 Finalist LV Cup Group stage Heineken Cup Quarter-final
2011–12 Premiership 2nd 74 Finalist LV Cup Champions Heineken Cup Group stage
2012–13 Premiership 2nd 74 Champions LV Cup Group stage Heineken Cup Quarter-final
2013–14 Premiership 3rd 74 Semi-final LV Cup Group stage Heineken Cup Quarter-final
2014–15 Premiership 3rd 68 Semi-final LV Cup Semi-final Champions Cup Group stage
2015–16 Premiership 4th 65 Semi-final None N/A Champions Cup Semi-final
2016–17 Premiership 4th 66 Semi-final Anglo-Welsh Cup Champions Champions Cup Group stage
2017–18 Premiership 5th 63 Did not qualify Anglo-Welsh Cup Group stage Champions Cup Group stage
2018–19 Premiership 11th 41 Did not qualify Premiership Rugby Cup Group stage Champions Cup Group stage
2019–20 Premiership 11th 29 Did not qualify Premiership Rugby Cup Group stage Challenge Cup Semi-final
2020–21 Premiership 6th 54 Did not qualify No competition N/A Challenge Cup Finalist
2021–22 Premiership 1st 94 Champions Premiership Cup Semi-final Champions Cup Quarter-final
2022–23 Premiership 3rd 59 Semi-final Premiership Cup Group stage Champions Cup Quarter–final
2023–24 Premiership 8th 45 Did not qualify Premiership Cup Finalist Champions Cup Round of 16
2024–25 Premiership 2nd 61 Finalist Premiership Cup Group stage Champions Cup Round of 16

* In 2001 & 2002 the winners of the league were considered champions with the winners of the playoffs considered champions from 2003 onward.

Premiership play-offs

Leicester Tigers playing in the 2008 Premiership Final against Wasps.

Leicester have participated in 16 of the 22 Premiership Play Offs, reaching nine consecutive finals between 2005 and 2013. Leicester finished first in 2004–05 going directly to the final; in Martin Johnson & Neil Back's last game for the club they lost 39–14 to Wasps. The following season Tigers finished second beating London Irish 40–8 in their first Play Off semi final before losing the final 45–20 to Sale.

In 2007 Leicester won their first title via the playoffs. They defeated Bristol 26–14 in semi-final before beating Gloucester 44–16 at Twickenham.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 18 May 2008 Leicester defeated Gloucester at Kingsholm to become the first team to win a Premiership semi-final playoff away from home.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Leicester lost the 2008 final 26–16 to Wasps.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2008–09 Tigers topped the table and beat Bath 24–10 in the semi-final. The final was the closest yet, Tigers winning 10–9 against London Irish.<ref name="2009 Prem Final"/> In 2010 the side retained the trophy winning 33–27 against Saracens, Dan Hipkiss scored the decisive try in the closing stages.<ref name="2010 Prem Final"/> Tigers reached the 2010–11 final for a rematch with Saracens losing 22–18.

2011–12 saw Tigers finish second in the table and beat Saracens 24–15 in the semi-finals at Welford Road. In the 2012 final Harlequins beat Leicester 30–23. In 2013 Leicester finished 2nd and beat Harlequins 33–16 in the semi-final at Welford Road. Leicester won their tenth Premiership title by beating Northampton, 37–17.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> These nine consecutive finals is a record for consecutive appearances in a Premiership play-off final.

In 2014 Leicester finished third and lost, 21–20, to Northampton in the semi-final at Franklin's Gardens. In 2015 Leicester finished third and lost to Bath, 47–10, in the semi-finals. In 2016 Leicester finished fourth and travelled to Allianz Park where they lost to Saracens, 44–17. In 2017 Leicester finished fourth and faced Wasps at the Ricoh Arena, losing 21–20.

After a four-year spell of missing the play offs Leicester returned to the play offs in 2022 after finishing the regular season top. In the semi-final they beat Northampton Saints 27–14. In the final they faced Saracens, Freddie Burns scored an 80th minute drop goal to win the final 15–12 and seal Leicester's 11th English Championship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The next season in 2023 Leicester finished third and lost to Sale Sharks, 21–13, after travelling to the AJ Bell Stadium in Salford. Tigers faced Sale again in 2025 semi-finals, this time at Welford Road. Tigers won 21-16, Izaia Perese scoring the winning try with his first touch breaking from 40 meters out.<ref name="2025 SF 1"/><ref name="2025 SF 2"/> In the final they played Bath, losing 23–21 after a string of controversial penalty decisions against Leicester.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Honours

Template:See also

Leicester hold the record for most Premiership titles (11), the most consecutive Premiership Final appearances (9) and the most Play off appearances (14). They were the first team to achieve an away semi-final victory in the Premiership play-offs (against Gloucester at Kingsholm on 18 May 2008).

Leicester Tigers trophy cabinet in August 2024

1st XV

Leicester A (Reserve team)

Champions (4) 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011
Runners-up (1) 2007
Champions (5) 1895, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1902

Club culture

Nickname

A mural on the West Stand at Welford Road Stadium

The club's formal name is Leicester Football Club but is widely known by the nickname "Tigers". The first known use of the name was after a game against Bedford School in February 1885, the Leicester Daily Post reporting that "the Tiger stripes were keeping well together".Template:Sfn The origin of the nickname is uncertain most probably coming from the side's chocolate and yellow playing kit, but it may have come from the club's links to the Leicestershire Regiment,Template:Sfn who had received the nickname 'Tigers' after serving in India, and from 1825 had worn a cap-badge with a 'royal' tiger to mark the connection.

In their early years the side were also known as "The Death or Glory Boys" on account of their black shirts.Template:Sfn

Player identification

In the 1926–27 season Leicester started using letters to identify their forwards; The Birmingham Post report for the match against Bath on 6 October 1926 noted "Leicester's forwards were picked out easily as their jerseys were decorated with large bold letters A-G". On 12 September 1931 against Old Blues the practice was expanded to the whole team.Template:Sfn

This tradition lasted until 1998 when Premiership Rugby rules forced Leicester to abandon lettering and Tigers first wore numbers on 5 September 1998 against Harlequins at Welford Road.Template:Sfn

Since then Leicester have only returned to letters for non-competition friendlies against sides such as Template:Nrut<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> or the New Zealand Maori.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref> On the current kit the letters are displayed in small on the front of the jersey.

Colours

Tigers' very first kit was black with white shorts and black socks, with the club's crest in the centre of the chest. From 1884 to 1887, the club played in chocolate and yellow shirts, likely giving rise to the club's nickname, white shorts and black socks before experimenting with claret and French grey horizontal stripes between 1887 and 1891.Template:Sfn

Martin Johnson and Graham Rowntree in Tigers traditional colours during the friendly match vs. Bath in 2007.

The first use of the scarlet, green and white was on 3 October 1891 against Wolverton at Belgrave Cricket & Cycle Ground. However, for the 1891–92 season, the pattern was vertical stripes.Template:Sfn It was not until 1895 that the now-traditional scarlet, green and white horizontal stripes were introduced to the jersey, paired with black shorts and socks until 1906.Template:Sfn The Tigers then played three season between 1906 and 1909 in white shirts with navy shorts, the first two seasons with a leaping tiger logo on the left breastTemplate:Sfn before reverting to a scarlet, green and white striped jersey, while retaining the navy shorts. This new kit layout lasted until 1947 when the navy shorts were swapped for white.

The Tigers kit and colours did not materially change between 1947 and 1999, only slight variations in the sizes of the stripes, the addition of a manufacturer's logo in 1975, a sponsor in 1988 and in 1991 the addition of the club crest for the first time since 1908.

In 1999, the Tigers switched to a darker green and have played in a variety of kit designs since.

Template:Football kit box Template:Football kit box Template:Football kit box Template:Football kit box
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Summary of kit manufacturers and sponsors

Seasons Manufacturer Sponsor
1991–1992 Cotton
Oxford
None
1992–1993 Ansells
1993–1995 Tetley Bitter
1995–1996 GoldStar
1996–1997 Cotton
Traders
1997–1999 Next
1999–2002 Vauxhall
2002–2008 Bradstone
2008–2012 Caterpillar
2012–2015 Canterbury
2015–2016 KooGa
2016–2017 Holland and Barrett
2017–2020 Kukri Sports
2020–present Samurai Topps Tiles

Rivalries

Tigers' main rivals are Northampton Saints, the East Midlands Derby has taken place between the two clubs for over 130 years, and Bath, a rivalry that developed in the 1980s and 1990s when both sides were fighting at the top of the English game.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Tigers also developed a rivalry with Wasps in the mid-2000s when they faced each other in 3 major finals over the course of 4 seasons, with Wasps winning all three. Historically Tigers had a strong local rivalry with Coventry from the 1880s until the 1990s, after which the sides did not face each other until 2025.<ref>Template:Cite podcast</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Twice annually, Tigers face Gloucester for the Slater Cup, named in honour of Ed Slater a former player for both sides who was diagnosed in 2022 with motor neurone disease. Prior to the cup being awarded Leicester and Gloucester had faced each other over 200 times since the 1890s.

Stadium

Template:Main

The North stand

The club plays its home games at Mattioli Wood Welford Road. The ground was opened in 1892 and the first stands accommodated 3,000 spectators.Template:Sfn The clubhouse was built on the Aylestone Road end in 1909,Template:Sfn the Members' & Crumbie Stands were built just before and just after the First World War respectively. A stand was built at the Welford Road end in 1995, initially called the Alliance & Leicester Stand it is currently known as the Mattioli Woods Stand.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The total ground capacity is currently 25,849 after redevelopments in 2008 and 2015.

Before redevelopment of Welford Road began in 2008 the club explored other options. On 23 November 2004 the club announced that it had entered into a 50–50 joint venture with the city's main football club, Leicester City, to purchase City's current ground, Leicester City Stadium. If the purchase had gone through, the Tigers would have surrendered their lease on Welford Road and moved into Walkers Stadium.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, after several months of talks, the two clubs ended any ground share plans in July 2005.<ref>Tigers call off ground share plan Template:Webarchive</ref>

On 11 June 2007 the club announced plans that it was working for a redevelopment plan which would raise the capacity from 17,498 to 25,000 by 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 20 February 2008 Leicester Tigers received planning consent for the £60million redevelopment of Welford Road. The first phase of the development was a new 10,000 seat North Stand (Granby Halls side), taking overall capacity from 17,498 to 24,000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the summer of 2008 work began on the construction of the new North Stand. The work was completed for the first home game of the 2009-10 season against Newcastle Falcons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At the end of the 2008–09 season three home games were played at the King Power Stadium, then known as the Walkers Stadium, due to demolition of the old north stand. These saw Tigers play Bath twice, a 20–15 win in the Heineken Cup quarter finals and a victory in the Premiership Play Off semi finals as well as a 73–3 win against Bristol. Tigers have also played two Heineken Cup semi-final games at the King Power Stadium, against Toulose and Llanelli Scarlets in 2005 and 2007 respectively, but the ground was designated as a neutral venue for both.

Welford Road's West stand taken at open training session in August 2024

On 27 February 2015 Tigers announced plans to continue the redevelopment of Welford Road by replacing the clubhouse and temporary West Stand with a new permanent building with a 3,100 capacity.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Work started on 28 May 2015<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and was completed by January 2016.

In October 2020, Mattioli Woods extended their naming rights deal to include the entire stadium for 5 seasons until 2024–25. The stadium became Mattioli Woods Welford Road.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Current squad

Senior squad

Template:For

The Leicester Tigers senior squad for the 2025–26 season is:<ref name="Squad">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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Template:Notelist

Senior Academy squad

Leicester Tigers' Academy squad is:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Template:Rugby squad start Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad mid Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad player Template:Rugby squad end

Notable former players

Record appearances and scorers

Template:Main David Matthews holds the record for most appearances for Leicester Tigers with 502 appearances between 1955 and 1974. Percy Lawrie is the only man to score more than 200 tries for the club, scoring a record 206 between 1907 and 1927. Dusty Hare is the club's all-time highest points scorer with 4,507 between 1976 and 1989.

Internationals

Template:Main 178 players from 16 different nations have been selected to represent their national side whilst a member of Leicester. The first was Jack Miles who was selected for England in 1903, Leicester's first non-English international was Scotland's Jock Lawrie in 1924. The club's first non-British or Irish player selected for international duty was Canada's Dave Lougheed when he played against United States in August 1998.

Lions tourists

The following are players who have represented the Lions while playing for Leicester:

3 tours: Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

2 tours: Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

1 tour

Italics denote a player who appeared on another tour whilst a member of another club.

2025: Ollie Chessum
2013: Ben Youngs†, Tom Youngs, Manu Tuilagi, Geoff Parling
2009: Harry Ellis
2005: Julian White, Ben Kay, Lewis Moody, Geordan Murphy, Ollie Smith
2001: Dorian West
1997: Will Greenwood, Eric Miller
1993: Tony Underwood
1983: Dusty Hare
1980: Paul Dodge
1974: Alan Old
1971: Rodger Arneil
1959: Tony O'Reilly, Phil Horrocks-Taylor
1936: Bernard Gadney, Alexander Obolensky, Charles Beamish
1930: Doug Prentice, George Beamish, Joe Kendrew
1910: Ken Wood
1908: F. S. Jackson, John Jackett, Tom Smith
1903: Alfred Hind

Ben Youngs was selected to tour for a second time in 2017, but turned down the offer for family reasons.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Rugby World Cup

The following are players which have represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup, whilst playing for Leicester:

Tournament Players selected Template:Nrut players Other national team players
1987 2 Dean Richards, Rory Underwood
1991 2 Dean Richards, Rory Underwood
1995 6 Neil Back, Martin Johnson, Dean Richards, Graham Rowntree, Rory Underwood, Tony Underwood
1999 11 Neil Back, Richard Cockerill, Martin Corry, Darren Garforth, Will Greenwood, Austin Healey, Martin Johnson, Leon Lloyd, Graham Rowntree, Dave Lougheed Template:Flag icon, Fritz van Heerden Template:Flag icon
2003 8 Neil Back, Martin Corry, Martin Johnson, Ben Kay, Lewis Moody, Julian White, Dorian West, Dan Lyle Template:Flag icon
2007 11 George Chuter, Martin Corry, Dan Hipkiss, Ben Kay, Lewis Moody, Marcos Ayerza Template:Flag icon, Seru Rabeni Template:Flag icon, Geordan Murphy Template:Flag icon, Martin Castrogiovanni Template:Flag icon, Alesana Tuilagi Template:Flag icon, Jim Hamilton Template:Flag icon
2011 12 Dan Cole, Tom Croft, Louis Deacon, Toby Flood, Manu Tuilagi, Thomas Waldrom, Ben Youngs, Marcos Ayerza Template:Flag icon, Horacio Agulla Template:Flag icon, Geordan Murphy Template:Flag icon, Martin Castrogiovanni Template:Flag icon, Alesana Tuilagi Template:Flag icon
2015 8 Dan Cole, Ben Youngs, Tom Youngs, Marcos Ayerza Template:Flag icon, Vereniki Goneva Template:Flag icon, Leonardo Ghiraldini Template:Flag icon, Michele Rizzo Template:Flag icon, Opeti Fonua Template:Flag icon
2019 8 Dan Cole, George Ford, Ellis Genge, Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Ben Youngs<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Sione Kalamafoni Template:Flag icon, Telusa Veainu Template:Flag icon<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2023 10 Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, George Martin, Freddie Steward, Ben Youngs<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Julián Montoya Template:Flag icon,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Jasper Wiese Template:Flag icon<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Tommy Reffell Template:Flag icon,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Solomone Kata Template:Flag icon,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Handré Pollard Template:Flag icon<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

International captains

Source:Template:Sfn Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

* Martin Corry was also captain for the majority of a Lions test in 2005 after Brian O'Driscoll left the field injured, however he is not considered the official captain for that match.

Captains

The following have been appointed club captain:

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

World Rugby Hall of Fame

The following people associated with club have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.

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Template:Div col end

Team of the Century and Walk of Legends

Tigers have named two "best" teams in recent times. On 1 November 2000 to celebrate the coming millennium a panel of former Tigers players and administrators named a Team of the century; whilst from October 2008 to February 2009 to celebrate the building of the then named Caterpillar Stand fans were invited to vote on a Walk of Legends in partnership with the Leicester Mercury.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref>

Team of the century<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Position Nationality Player Tigers career
Full back Template:Flag icon Ken Scotland 40 games 1961–1962
Right wing Template:Flag icon Alastair Smallwood 64 games 1920–1925
Right centre Template:Flag icon Clive Woodward 148 games 1979–1985
Left centre Template:Flag icon Paul Dodge 434 games 1975–1993
Left wing Template:Flag icon Rory Underwood 236 games 1983–1997
Fly half Template:Flag icon Les Cusworth 365 games 1978–1990
Scrum half Template:Flag icon Bernard Gadney 170 games 1929–1939
Loosehad prop Template:Flag icon Bob Stirling 75 games 1948–1953
Hooker Template:Flag icon Peter Wheeler 349 games 1969–1985
Tighthead prop Template:Flag icon Darren Garforth 1991–
Lock Template:Flag icon Martin Johnson (c) 1989–
Lock Template:Flag icon George Beamish 118 games 1924–1933
Blindside flanker Template:Flag icon Doug Prentice 239 games 1923–1931
Opendside flanker Template:Flag icon Neil Back 1990–
No. 8 Template:Flag icon Dean Richards 314 games 1982–1997
Coach: Template:Flag icon Chalkie White
Walk of Legends<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Position Nationality Player Tigers career
Full back Template:Flag icon Dusty Hare 394 games 1976–1989
Right wing Template:Flag icon John Duggan 302 games 1970–1980
Right centre Template:Flag icon Clive Woodward 148 games 1979–1985
Left centre Template:Flag icon Paul Dodge 434 games 1975–1993
Left wing Template:Flag icon Rory Underwood 236 games 1983–1997
Fly half Template:Flag icon Bleddyn Jones 333 games 1969–1978
Scrum half Template:Flag icon Austin Healey 248 games 1996–2006
Loosehad prop Template:Flag icon Graham Rowntree 398 games 1990–2007
Hooker Template:Flag icon Peter Wheeler 349 games 1969–1985
Tighthead prop Template:Flag icon Steve Redfern 241 games 1976–1984
Lock Template:Flag icon Martin Johnson 362 games 1989–2005
Lock Template:Flag icon Matt Poole 223 games 1988–1998
Blindside flanker Template:Flag icon Graham Willars 338 games 1959–1987
Opendside flanker Template:Flag icon David Matthews 502 games 1955–1974
No. 8 Template:Flag icon Dean Richards 314 games 1982–1997

At the time the Team of the Century was announced Garforth, Johnson and Back were still current players.

Coaches

Current coaches

Source:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Squad"/>

Past coaches

Template:Updated

Name Nat. From To P W D L Win % Honours
Bob Dwyer Template:AUS July 1996 14 February 1998 70 52 1 17 74.26 1997 Pilkington Cup
Dean Richards Template:ENG 22 February 1998 2 February 2004 210 138 6 66 65.71 1998–99 Premiership, 1999–00 Premiership, 2000–01 Premiership, 2000–01 Zurich Championship, 2000–01 Heineken Cup, 2001–02 Premiership, 2001–02 Heineken Cup
John Wells Template:ENG 3 February 2004 14 May 2005 45 31 5 9 68.88
Pat Howard Template:AUS July 2005 20 May 2007 75 49 4 22 65.33 2006–07 Premiership, 2006–07 Anglo Welsh Cup
Richard Cockerill (Caretaker) Template:ENG July 2007 3 November 2007 8 5 0 3 62.50
Marcelo Loffreda Template:ARG 10 November 2007 31 May 2008 28 15 0 13 53.57
Heyneke Meyer Template:RSA July 2008 24 January 2009 21 13 1 7 61.90
Richard Cockerill Template:ENG 15 February 2009 2 January 2017 276 178 11 87 64.49 2008–09 Premiership, 2009–10 Premiership, 2011-12 Anglo-Welsh Cup, 2012–13 Premiership
Aaron Mauger (Caretaker) Template:NZL 2 January 2017 25 March 2017 12 7 0 5 58.33 2016-17 Anglo-Welsh Cup
Matt O'Connor Template:AUS 26 March 2017 3 September 2018 38 19 0 19 50.00
Geordan Murphy Template:Ru 3 September 2018 13 November 2020 64 21 1 42 32.81
Steve Borthwick Template:ENG 13 November 2020 19 December 2022 78 53 1 24 67.94 2021–22 Premiership
Richard Wigglesworth (Caretaker) Template:ENG 19 December 2022 14 May 2023 16 9 0 7 56.25
Dan McKellar Template:AUS 1 July 2023 22 June 2024 30 16 0 14 53.33
Michael Cheika Template:AUS 27 June 2024 15 June 2025 31 18 1 12 58.06
Geoff Parling Template:ENG 16 June 2025 8 6 0 2 75.00

Sources

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Commons category

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