Geordan Murphy says the Leicester Tigers squad can take "a huge amount" out of their win at Bath Rugby in the opening round of the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
George Catchpole and Luke Hamilton were the try-scorers in Friday's 21-20 victory at The Recreation Ground – a first there since 2012 – as Tigers got the tournament off to a winning start.
And while coach Murphy was pleased with the attacking plans that took Tigers into a 21-8 lead in the second half, he was delighted with the spirit and passion from the whole team.
“I’m extremely proud of the guys,” said Murphy who took charge of the squad for the game, assisted by Richard Blaze, Anthony Allen and Brett Deacon. “It was very tough, we picked up a few injuries, we had to make a lot of changes and we were scrambling for the last 20 minutes. But for those young guys to come here and grind it out and win by a point is huge for their development. They will take a huge amount from that.
“The boys were excited about getting out there and they put their hands up. They had that pride and passion, and worked hard for each other. They are the character traits that make a strong side.
“In attack we were pretty good and our defence really impressed me. The boys filled the field and made some good shots, they kept getting back up and got their work in. Full credit to the team.”
Tigers lost Matt Smith, Fraser Balmain, Joe Maksymiw, debutant Tomas Leonardi and try-scorer Catchpole to injury in an attritional game, but came through despite Bath closing the gap with a try just four minutes from the end.
“We’ve got another tough game next week with the Dragons at home,” said Murphy. “I’m delighted with the win at such a tough place, but we’ll not really dwell on it. There are lessons to take from it for Monday. But if we keep that spirit and passion next week we will be happy.”
Pool round fixtures in the Anglo-Welsh Cup are included in Tigers season tickets. For all other supporters, match tickets for Saturday are available now. Kick-off is at 3pm.
George Catchpole and Luke Hamilton were the try-scorers in Friday's 21-20 victory at The Recreation Ground – a first there since 2012 – as Tigers got the tournament off to a winning start.
And while coach Murphy was pleased with the attacking plans that took Tigers into a 21-8 lead in the second half, he was delighted with the spirit and passion from the whole team.
“I’m extremely proud of the guys,” said Murphy who took charge of the squad for the game, assisted by Richard Blaze, Anthony Allen and Brett Deacon. “It was very tough, we picked up a few injuries, we had to make a lot of changes and we were scrambling for the last 20 minutes. But for those young guys to come here and grind it out and win by a point is huge for their development. They will take a huge amount from that.
“The boys were excited about getting out there and they put their hands up. They had that pride and passion, and worked hard for each other. They are the character traits that make a strong side.
“In attack we were pretty good and our defence really impressed me. The boys filled the field and made some good shots, they kept getting back up and got their work in. Full credit to the team.”
Tigers lost Matt Smith, Fraser Balmain, Joe Maksymiw, debutant Tomas Leonardi and try-scorer Catchpole to injury in an attritional game, but came through despite Bath closing the gap with a try just four minutes from the end.
“We’ve got another tough game next week with the Dragons at home,” said Murphy. “I’m delighted with the win at such a tough place, but we’ll not really dwell on it. There are lessons to take from it for Monday. But if we keep that spirit and passion next week we will be happy.”
Pool round fixtures in the Anglo-Welsh Cup are included in Tigers season tickets. For all other supporters, match tickets for Saturday are available now. Kick-off is at 3pm.
