Greatest rugby sides: Leicester Tigers 1998-2002

Colin Newboult

Leicester Tigers celebrate their 15-9 victory over Munster in todays Heineken European Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

We take a look at the best ever teams to have graced the sport from years gone by and today we delve into the Leicester side that dominated in England and in Europe.

Following the inception of the league system in 1987, initially named the rather long-winded Courage League National Division One, Bath was the dominant force. Although the Tigers claimed the title in its inaugural campaign, that great side from the West Country proceeded to win season after season.

Leicester did break the cycle in 1995 but it wouldn’t be until legendary number eight Dean Richards took the reins as head honcho in 1998 did they begin to assert their authority on the rest of England and, eventually, Europe.

The Midlanders enjoyed remarkable success, claiming four domestic titles and two Heineken Cups, becoming the first team ever to retain Europe’s top-tier trophy in the process. That would be a record which lasted a decade before Leinster succeeded in 2011 and ’12.

Under Richards, the Welford Road-based outfit created a legacy which is still remembered fondly by Tigers supporters to this day, especially with the current set-up in such strife, but it rather fell apart in the next two years.

A sixth place finish was followed by the resignation of the director of rugby in February 2004, ending a wonderful stint in charge. Of course, there was further success, including four more Premiership triumphs, but it was not as sustained as this great period.

What made them great

There were very few, if any, weaknesses to their game. Up front, they were stacked with England internationals, which formed the spine of the side for club and country, while the backline had an excellent blend of playmakers and pace.

Their scrum was feared and the second-row partnership gave a consistent supply of ball at the lineout. The Tigers perhaps lacked a brutish carrier in the form of someone like Lawrence Dallaglio, but there was enough dynamism to get the side on the front foot for their backs to thrive.

At half-back, there was a superb combination of pace, control and an accurate kicking game, which allowed a well-balanced group of outside backs to take advantage of their team-mates’ good work. There were also some youthful players behind the forward eight that came through the ranks at that time, who were able to shine thanks to the experience and leadership they had.

All the pieces fitted together wonderfully and allowed them to dominate, initially in England before taking that excellence into Europe. Their success in the Premiership is even more impressive when you consider there were no play-offs at the time as the league leaders were duly crowned champions. In fact, it all got rather tiresome for the neutrals watching, so much so that the new system was introduced partly as a result of the Tigers’ control over the tournament.

Key players

There have been few more influential figures in English rugby than Martin Johnson. It’s rather apt to start with the captain who inspired so many, from team-mates to supporters, and those qualities shone in Leicester’s outstanding era of success.

A huge presence in the second-row, Johnson was an excellent carrier, superb in the mauls and a good lineout option, but no doubt it was his sheer aggression, passion and intelligence that made him so feared and respected.

With him leading the charge, Leicester always had a chance, but he was ably supported in the second-row, first by Springbok Fritz van Heerden and then by youngster Ben Kay. Both offered expertise at the set-piece and a solidity behind an excellent front-row, which contained Tigers legends Graham Rowntree, Dorian West, Darren Garforth and Richard Cockerill.

With that front five often dominant, it made the job much easier for the back-row, who had a wonderful balance. In Neil Back they had the classic fetcher and link man, while Martin Corry, Lewis Moody and Will Johnson were the workhorses, combining defensive nous with excellent carrying games.

In the backline, there was the exceptionally talented Austin Healey, who could play at either scrum-half, fly-half or on the wing, and his versatility was crucial to the Tigers’ cause. He often featured at number nine, however, and was joined by pivot Joel Stransky between 1997 and 1999 before Andy Goode became a staple of the first team.

Outside them was the hugely gifted Australian Pat Howard and outstanding full-back Tim Stimpson, who was noted for his kicking prowess. They were supplemented by youngsters that would become Leicester greats in Geordan Murphy and Leon Lloyd.

Landmark performance

Back in the days when Leicester were so dominant domestically, there weren’t any knockout matches to test the nerves of the best side in England, which meant the Heineken Cup provided added pressure to the Tigers’ ranks.

In their first year back in the competition – English clubs missed the 1998/99 season due to a dispute between governing bodies – Dean Richards’ men didn’t even make it out of their group, but that changed in 2000/01.

Leicester made it all the way to the final after victories over Swansea and Gloucester in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, setting up a contest against Stade Francais.

Versus one of the greats of the European game, it was always going to be tough anyway, but the Parisians also had home advantage. Stade had sneaked past Munster in the last-four to earn a place in the showpiece event which, in 2001, was being hosted in the French capital.

The Parc des Princes was full of baying locals and the pressure perhaps resulted in some needless ill-discipline from the English outfit. A succession of indiscretions allowed the great Diego Dominguez to kick nine penalties, as well as a drop-goal, but all the quality with ball in hand came from Leicester.

They scored two tries in the third quarter, while Tim Stimpson was accurate off the tee, scoring five penalties and a conversion, but the Tigers still found themselves behind going into the latter stages.

Dominguez’s 77th minute three-pointer seemed to have handed the trophy to Stade, but Richards’ charges had other ideas. Healey brilliantly broke through the heart of the opposition defence and found Lloyd on the right-wing, who duly finished in the right-hand corner.

That gave the Premiership side a 32-30 lead but Stimpson added the extras to take them out of the range of the dead-eye Dominguez. They duly held on to claim their first ever top-tier European trophy and cement their place as one of the best club teams ever.