"We have used 37 players in starting teams throughout the EDF Energy Cup and I am incredibly proud of every single one of them," said Pat Howard after lifting his first trophy as Leicester Tigers head coach at Twickenham on Sunday.
"The whole squad got us into this position, not just the ones who played in the final," added Howard after the thrilling 41-35 victory over the Ospreys. "I am really impressed by them. It is great for the fans and for the players. Personally, it is also nice to get my first trophy."
Tigers had a dream start on a scorching-hot afternoon, scoring four tries in the first half to lead 28-9 before the Ospreys launched an incredible comeback which saw them close to within just three points at 31-28 before Tigers secured their first silverware since 2002.
"For the neutral it was a fantastic game, though it as a little bit of a nail-biter for us," said Howard. "I am extremely happy with the victory. We have been criticised at times for not being an expansive team but we scored five tries and it was a pretty good performance.
"We took most of the chances we created on the day. I thought both teams scored some excellent tries and it was a great spectacle."
Tigers captain Martin Corry called for calm heads when Ospreys mounted their fightback, and said that he felt confident of riding out the second-half storm if his side stuck to their game-plan.
"We saw what a great side they are, especially from broken play and turnover ball," said Corry after lifting his first cup as Leicester skipper. "The most important thing at that stage was to keep playing our game.
"When we kept the ball for any period of time, we would score tries as well. We had to concentrate on getting down into their territory, keep our composure and keep hold of the ball."
After enjoying a big day and a cup win, Tigers get straight back into business with a Heineken Cup semi-final against Llanelli Scarlets at the Walkers Stadium on Saturday. And Howard will have to check on knee injuries to prop Martin Castrogiovanni and fly-half Paul Burke, as well as monitoring how well the players recover with just a six-day turnaround between the two games.
"The whole squad got us into this position, not just the ones who played in the final," added Howard after the thrilling 41-35 victory over the Ospreys. "I am really impressed by them. It is great for the fans and for the players. Personally, it is also nice to get my first trophy."
Tigers had a dream start on a scorching-hot afternoon, scoring four tries in the first half to lead 28-9 before the Ospreys launched an incredible comeback which saw them close to within just three points at 31-28 before Tigers secured their first silverware since 2002.
"For the neutral it was a fantastic game, though it as a little bit of a nail-biter for us," said Howard. "I am extremely happy with the victory. We have been criticised at times for not being an expansive team but we scored five tries and it was a pretty good performance.
"We took most of the chances we created on the day. I thought both teams scored some excellent tries and it was a great spectacle."
Tigers captain Martin Corry called for calm heads when Ospreys mounted their fightback, and said that he felt confident of riding out the second-half storm if his side stuck to their game-plan.
"We saw what a great side they are, especially from broken play and turnover ball," said Corry after lifting his first cup as Leicester skipper. "The most important thing at that stage was to keep playing our game.
"When we kept the ball for any period of time, we would score tries as well. We had to concentrate on getting down into their territory, keep our composure and keep hold of the ball."
After enjoying a big day and a cup win, Tigers get straight back into business with a Heineken Cup semi-final against Llanelli Scarlets at the Walkers Stadium on Saturday. And Howard will have to check on knee injuries to prop Martin Castrogiovanni and fly-half Paul Burke, as well as monitoring how well the players recover with just a six-day turnaround between the two games.
