Leicester’s winner, Freddie Burns, admitted that he could hardly believe the sensational end of the Premiership final, in which he kicked out the winner of the match to turn down the Saracens in the last minute of the match.
Burns had to play a more important role than he expected when George Ford limped in the first half, having already revived his professional career at Leicester after a stay in Japan. “I am distrustful at the moment. I usually don’t miss words, but I can’t believe I’m sitting here. I managed to turn it over – it was like a dead duck – but I don’t care. Went through.
“We were a team of fighters all year round and we showed that in many matches. I don’t think people really gave us much of a chance. Everyone was talking about the big Saracen players, but I wouldn’t replace any of our boys with theirs. We just kept fighting and came out on the right. Giving supporters this moment and a reward for their support means everything to everyone at Tigers. ”
Their head coach Steve Bortwick also praised the calm way in which his players created a chance for Burns to prevent the transfer of the match in overtime. “The composure to climb into a better position was phenomenal,” Bortwick said. “It was very impressive to think as clearly as they did so far in a very difficult match. I watched it [Freddie Burns] hitting those balls yesterday on the training ground… he has nerves of steel, doesn’t he? ”
The recent death of the wife of former club captain Tom Young, Tiffany, has generated additional emotion for everyone involved in Leicester’s first title in nine years. “Everyone in the club has worked hard to get to that position,” Bortwick said. “I am just happy for everyone. Everyone at the club still suffers for the Youngs. In the end, it was very stylish for Tom Youngs and Ellis [Genge] to take the trophy together.
“If you really know what you’re going to do, sometimes it can happen. You want to win rugby games, but you have to make your family proud and proud of themselves, and you have to make your friends proud of you. ”
The Saracen rugby director, Mark McCall, acknowledged that Leicester, who finished at the top of the regular season table, deserved their success. “They trapped us in our half for long periods of time and backed it up with brilliant protection,” McCall said. “It was very disappointing, but a lot of it was done by them. We were a little suffocated today. It was hard to break them. Fair play to them, they did it brilliantly. “
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McCall also refused to accuse its players of choosing a late penalty from close range, instead of making a potential attempt to win the match against 14 men. “It is difficult to know what needs to be done. I do not agree with the decision at all. I don’t think it was a game – they deserved to win. “
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