Leicester Tigers’ ‘forgotten’ try-scorer George Worth says the side are licking their lips at the prospect of a European tussle with Cardiff this weekend.
The 23-year-old made an earlier-than-expected appearance in last week’s Challenge Cup opener following an injury to wing Sam Aspland-Robinson.
And, after a shuffle of the Tigers back three, the replacement full-back finished off a well-worked score on the right for the opening try of the match – even if club colleague Jonah Holmes would upstage him with four of his own.
“Obviously, Jonah loves attention and he got all of it at the weekend,” Worth said, tongue firmly in cheek.
“He did very well. He was on the end of a few nice plays, and to be fair to him he did run very, very fast for one of them, so it was good to see him pin his ears back.
“As far as the game went, we were happy that we executed a few things well, and to get a bonus-point win in a new competition was pretty good.”
“We’re really looking forward to the opportunity.”
George Worth
But, even if there were a few more smiles around the club’s Oval Park training base on Monday morning, Worth explained the side must move on quickly from their Welford Road win and look ahead to the next challenge.
“We try and keep as level-headed as possible,” he continued. “That is to say, the highs aren’t as high as they seem, and the lows aren’t as low as they seem.
“Even though it’s hard, you try and stick to what you’re doing and trust that [form] will turn.
“I’m confident that what we’re doing is the right thing. Everyone is working hard and pulling in the right direction, so there’s no reason why we can’t go on a good run of games.”
Next up is a trip to the Welsh capital to face the Blues, who sit top of Pool 5 after a bonus-point win of their own against Italian club Calvisano.
The Tigers Academy graduate added that the squad can draw on a strong showing away at The Rec in the Premiership Rugby Cup earlier this term.
“We’re very excited,” he said. “It’s probably going to be wet, we’re going to have to play the conditions, play the crowd, and it’s a great opportunity to show some maturity and execute the game plan that we’ve set out.
“They’ll try and play quick and deep on the 4G. We’ll have to make sure that our defence is solid.
“I can remember earlier on [in the season] we went to Bath and got a very good away win with 14 men, so there’s no reason why we can’t go to Wales and beat a strong side with 15.
“We’re really looking forward to the opportunity.”
