Rugby

Geordan Murphy made permanent Leicester head coach

Former Irish fullback has said club is at ‘their lowest ebb’ after run of eight straight defeats

Geordan Murphy has been appointed as permanent head coach at Leicester. photograph: James Crombie/Inpho

Gerard Meagher
Tue Dec 18 2018 - 19:10

Geordan Murphy has been appointed as Leicester's permanent head coach despite a run of eight straight defeats which has left the Tigers at "their lowest ebb", according to the former Ireland fullback.

Murphy, who has spent 21 years at Leicester as a player and coach, was handed the role on an interim basis when former Leinster coach Matt O’Connor was sacked after the first game of the season but has managed only four wins from his 15 matches in charge.

The Tigers are all but out of Europe after Sunday's home defeat by Racing 92 and are only three points from the bottom of the Premiership, but the Leicester hierarchy is determined to avoid more overhaul, having sacked Richard Cockerill, Aaron Mauger and O'Connor in the last 24 months.

“We’ve had a challenging start to the season and we are working hard to improve performances and results, but this is also the start of a journey for this coaching team and playing group,” said Murphy.

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Leicester are also closing in on a new defence coach, having conceded 292 points in the Premiership this season – the worst in the league – and a further 121 in Europe.

Dave Ellis, who worked with France at the 2011 World Cup, and Mike Ford have both been linked to the role. "We are looking at how and what we can add to the coaching team in terms of experience and quality," added Murphy. "It has to be the right fit for the team." – Guardian

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