We're up to the letter U in the Tigers ABC to Z series and one of the club's most famous rugby-playing families.U is for Underwood: Rory and Tony Underwood became the first brothers to play in an England team for more than 50 years when they ran out together against South Africa at Twickenham in 1992.
It was the second of Tony’s 27 England caps and he scored the first of his 13 international tries in a 33-16 victory. Rory, of course, is England’s record try-scorer with 49 in 85 games. He became the first England player to 50 caps during the 1991 World Cup.
Together, the Underwood brothers played their part in the 1995 Grand Slam and were on opposite flanks as England reached the semi-finals at that year’s World Cup in South Africa. It was Rory’s final World Cup, after playing at the 1987 and 1991 tournaments.
They toured New Zealand together with the Lions in 1993. It was Rory’s second Lions tour after the victorious series against Australia in 1989.
And together at Leicester Tigers they terrorised opposition defences on opposite flanks. Rory scored 134 tries in 236 appearances for the club, putting him seventh on the club’s all-time list. Tony, meanwhile, scored 57 tries in 92 appearances for Tigers.
Rory now runs his own management consultancy, Wingman Ltd, and is a member of the Tigers board while Tony is a pilot for Emirates.
Click here to watch some of Rory's England tries. And click here to watch Tony and Rory in try-scoring action together for England.
U is for unique: After watching Leicester Tigers come from behind five times in the game to win the 2010 Premiership Final Richard Cockerill, speaking in his post-match press conference, said it was down the culture and work ethic of his team.
“It's just the culture we have,” he said. “If you're not very good or don't want to work hard you're out of the door.”
It led to Rob Kitson, The Guardian’s rugby writer, to state in his report of the final: “Cockerill is quite right: there is something unique in the Tigers' DNA.”
U is for utility: That unique DNA includes Leicester Tigers players playing almost anywhere for the badge, their teammates and the supporters.
Take Arthur Jones, Dixie Smith, John Jackett and Harry Lawrie, who share the distinction of having started a game for Leicester Tigers in all of the backs positions.
And in the case of Lawrie, who played 168 times for the club between 1904 and 1915, he started 124 of his games in the forwards!
Eight players, including Keith Chilton, Jez Harris and Austin Healey have started a game in four of the backs positions, while Sam Harrison played at wing, centre, fly-half and scrum-half at various stages during last season.
Joel Stransky, the South Africa fly-half who kicked the winning points at the 1995 World Cup, made his Tigers debut as a replacement on the wing, while scrum-half Ben Youngs won his first England cap against Scotland in similar circumstances!
Back rower Craig Newby was employed at centre in the 32-32 Heineken Cup draw against Ospreys in 2009.
Tom Youngs made a transition from centre to become a Tigers regular, an England international and a British & Irish Lion at hooker. Youngs is the most recent of 10 post-war players to have played in the forwards and backs for the Tigers.
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Tigers ABC to Z: U is for Underwoods
24 July 2015 11:26 AM
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Tigers ABC to Z: U is for Underwoods
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