Tigers secured a narrow 41-35 win against the same opposition in last year’s Anglo-Welsh final and Corry expects the 2008 contest to be an even tighter affair.
“They’ve certainly improved leaps and bounds from last season,” says Corry, who led Tigers to Guinness Premiership glory in May last year, a month after the EDF Energy Cup became the club’s first trophy since 2002.
“They’ve developed a real strength and resilience in their forward pack. They’ve got a very good side. Everyone talks about their attacking flair but to hold a team like Saracens to just three points in the semi-final of this competition shows how hard they are to break down.
“They’ve got an excellent lineout, which Alun Wyn Jones runs very well. I’m a massive fan of Marty Holah and Ryan Jones is going from strength to strength this season. They’ve got plenty of explosive power on the bench as well and it’s going to be a real test, not just of our team, but of our whole squad.”
Saturday’s game is the first of three vital fixtures in eight days for Tigers and Corry is fully aware of the challenge ahead of him and his team-mates.
“We’ve got a final on Saturday, a massive league game at Bath on the Tuesday and then another huge game against Bristol next weekend. We’ve got a fair few injuries so there could be some players who are playing in all three games. It’s going to be test of fitness, resilience and mental toughness. This is the time where you’ve got to show all those qualities.”
