Geordan Murphy named Leicester Tigers head coach on a permanent basis despite eight straight defeats

Former Leicester full-back has been promoted from his interim position but is poised to be joined by a new defence coach in a bid to turnaround their dismal form this season

Geordan Murphy has been named permanent Leicester Tigers head coach (Getty)

Geordan Murphy has been confirmed as the permanent Leicester Tigers head coach despite the club’s eight-game losing streak under his watch.

The former Ireland international, who joined the club as a player in 1997, has been in interim charge since Matt O’Connor was sacked after the opening match of the season, but results have not picked up and the 10-time English champions find themselves deep in a relegation battle.

The appointment of 40-year-old Murphy is not made with their current run of form in mind, given that Leicester have not won since the victory over Northampton Saints at the start of October. Instead, they are on the lookout for a new defence coach that can plug the gaps in their leaky backline, which has already shipped 54 tries in just 13 matches.

Both Mike Ford, the father of current Leicester fly-half George Ford and former England defence coach, and ex-France defensive guru Dave Ellis have been strongly linked with a position on Murphy’s coaching set-up, with the newly-appointed boss confirming: “We are looking at how and what we can add to the coaching team in terms of experience and quality, and it has to be the right fit for the team.”

Leicester face Harlequins this weekend knowing that another defeat will push them further away from the top-four battle they were expected to be a part of this season. However, rather than reflect on the dismal run of form, Murphy is determined to use his promotion as the “start of a journey” for the entire club that can be utilised as a springboard for the rest of the campaign.

“It is a huge honour to be asked to be head coach at a club I know so well,” said Murphy. “This club means a lot to me, I’ve been here a long time and we all want to enjoy success with the Tigers.

“For me, performances on the field begin with the pride, passion and commitment you want to see from a Leicester Tigers team. It is about that passion for the shirt. A Leicester Tigers team is built around the beliefs of working hard for each other, everyone being a team player and also about having a real intent and integrity about what we do. These are base-level principles. That is what passion on the field looks like to me.

“Peter Tom and the Tigers Board have been very supportive of me. They’ve told me that whatever we need, they will support. The coaching team and the players have been very good since I was given the opportunity.

“We’ve had a challenging start to the season and we are working hard to improve performances and results, but this is also the start of a journey for this coaching team and playing group. There is a lot of quality there and we still have everything to play for this season.

“The supporters can play their part on that journey too and we hope they will be with us all the way.”

Murphy joined Leicester in 1997 and stretches his stay by becoming permanent head coach (Getty)

Murphy’s presence at Welford Road as an assistant coach for the last five years, which culminated in him being put in temporary charge of the first team when O’Connor was dismissed after the opening weekend 40-6 defeat by Exeter Chiefs, has convinced chairman Tom that Murphy is the right man to place in charge for what they hope is the foreseeable future.

“Geordan has his beliefs on what makes Tigers tick and how he wants that to work at Oval Park and at Welford Road, and we are delighted to be able to plan for the future with him as our head coach,” said Tom.

“He knows this club as well as anyone, as a player over 16 years here and now in five years as a coach. Although recent results have not been at the level we all expect, Geordan’s leadership, enthusiasm and hard work during a challenging period have impressed us all.

“Geordan has his own vision of how to get the best out of the coaches and players around him, and now is the time for everyone to work together to help his plans come to fruition.”

The 72-cap Ireland international will come up against a former teammate this weekend in Paul Gustard, who himself is in his first season in charge as a head coach after learning his trade as defence coach at first Saracens and then with Eddie Jones’ England set-up.

It had been reported that Gustard was in the running for the top job at Leicester, something that all parties rejected, but it has only added to the magnitude of this Saturday’s Premiership encounter that could make or break the rest of the season for Leicester.