The players know every rival team will try to raise their game when they run out against the boys in red, white and green. There’s nothing new in that and we’ve all got used to it.
On the pitch things can change in the blink of an eye. The fortunes of both teams can change that quickly. But consistency – not getting too low with defeat or too high in victory – is a more long-term achievement.
Off the field, too, Tigers are consistently up with the best of them.
The club this week announced sales of 5,000 season tickets for next season. That is a campaign that does not start until September. It is still just January, if you hadn’t noticed.
That figure says a huge amount for the quality of the club’s support and the loyalty of the Leicester legions.
It also says a lot for the club, the fact that us fans trust in them to produce something worth watching every year.
The club’s average attendances are over 20,000 again –flying in the face of those who questioned the construction of a new stand during a recession – and we all share the pride of that figure.
The lowest Aviva Premiership attendance at Welford Road this season is 17,200 for the match against Harlequins. That was during the World Cup, after Tigers had lost four times in five weeks and before Quins had made a lasting statement about being among the real contenders for honours this season.
There were, no doubt, those who wondered about the empty seats and the defeat that day.
Remember, though, at the top have the furthest to fall. That attendance is the lowest of the season so far at Welford Road but it is also higher than any gate at any English ground other than Twickenham, Wembley and, well, the rest of the campaign at Welford Road.
There to be shot at indeed.
