Leicester Tigers used to be one of the most feared Rugby clubs in the world. They were a side that won Premier League titles for fun, which was always in the business end of European competition and a place where the best players in the world Rugby saw as a possible destination when they wanted to come and play in England. In short, they were much the Manchester United of the Rugby world, hated, adored but never ignored.
However, again similarly to the Red Devils, they have gone through a very poor period in recent years and have fallen away from the top of the sport, both domestically and in Europe with them failing to reach the quarter finals in the European Cup this year and without a Premier League title since 2013. The dominance is gone, the winning is gone and, perhaps, most worryingly, the fear factor is gone. They are just another team now, people do not come to Welford Road hoping to keep the score down, teams comes hoping to win, something that was almost unthinkable in the glory days.
The Tigers are not even likely to get a playoff spot this season, they are struggling in fifth and are in need of something big to make a late charge. However, their win over Wasps this weekend could just be that spark they needed, it might just be the kick up the backside the Tigers have desired that can really get their season going. With the Chiefs, Saracens and even, to some extent, Wasps themselves looking hard to catch, the Tigers will be eyeing up Newcastle and the fourth spot.
Leicester then look unlikely to be adding to their trophy cabinet come the end of the season, however sometimes momentum is all teams need and it is possible that their tight and tense win might give them that push. At 25/1 to be the champions, they could just be worth a flutter, especially when betting on rugby at Spin Palace Sports as, with their €200 free bet, you can back the Tigers to win the title without putting any of your own money down and, if they fail to win, you won’t lose anything. It is a real win win, which ironically is what the Tigers need, a win and then another win and then another win and then another.
They have to use this Wasps win as a springboard, as a signpost to a brighter future, as a chance to move on from their past and paint something new and as a sign that they can grind out wins. What used to make the Tigers so special was not so much the fact they won a lot, it was that they could win close games, the matches that turned on one moment or one thing, that was when they stepped up. They showed they still have that in beating Wasps, but they have to be more consistent and they have to do it fast.
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