Austin Healey: Leicester are no longer one of the big boys of English rugby – but do not write them off yet

So what if Leicester are still the biggest supported club in the country? The Tigers are about winning. They have always been about winning so something is clearly wrong

After three successive defeats, we have to ask: have Leicester Tigers lost their aura? Or is it too early to even ask?
Well I believe Leicester have already lost their status as one of the big boys of English rugby. The only theory that supports their position is that they have got the biggest crowd. Well, that is fine. But you are only a big dog if you win trophies.
Otherwise, Leicester will end up being like a retired greyhound: once very good and almost unbeatable but now starting to look old.

Richard Cockerill, Leicester’s director of rugby, is saying he is not afraid of the sack and that he should take all the flak. But are the problems more than just a load of injuries and a bit of bad form?
One of the major concerns if you are a Leicester supporter is the number of players, relatively inexpensive ones, who have left the squad and gone on to be internationals, such as Kieran Brookes, George Ford, Billy Twelvetrees and George Skivington…… see mote at :- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/premiership/11152201/Austin-Healey-Leicester-are-no-longer-one-of-the-big-boys-of-English-rugby-but-do-not-write-them-off-yet.html