Leicester Tigers defy ‘doubters’ with ‘self-belief’ – Cheika

Premiership Rugby Grand Final – Leicester v Bath

Michael Cheika nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders as he freely accepted Bath go into Saturday’s Premiership Grand Final as overwhelming favourites against his Leicester Tigers side.

But it is not as if the Leicester head coach or his Tigers players will care.

“I know we will be doubted and probably for good reason from the results and the table,” the 58-year-old Australian told BBC Radio Leicester.

“The important thing is that from inside the team and the group of people we have around, that we don’t doubt and that we have belief.”

Tigers finished second in the table, 11 points adrift of a Bath side looking to complete a trophy treble, having already claimed the European Challenge Cup and Premiership Rugby Cup this season.

Bath were the first side to inflict a Premiership defeat on Tigers during Cheika’s one-season reign, when they edged past the East Midlands club at Mattioli Woods Welford Road in September.

Bath’s head of rugby Johann van Graan has previously said the Somerset club are “comfortable with being favourites”.

Equally, Cheika says the role Leicester have been cast in and the widely predicted script suits his side.

“I can understand the predictions and why they make them, whether they are done from data or delivered by experts,” the Tigers boss said.

“Come Saturday, we are going to be playing against a team that will be well fancied, who have dominated the season so far.

“We have strong self-belief internally and that will be something that will be really important. That is something we have built up over the season.

“But this is a good opportunity for us to use that belief in ourselves, because what that gives you is a hand in knowing what you will have to do.

“You will see in your mind when you close your eyes, what do I have to do in this game to get to where I want to go? It’s not actually the end, where you have got the prize, but seeing what you need to do in order to get it.”

The weeks leading up to Tigers’ attempt to secure a record-extending 12th Premiership title have been dominated by the impending mass exodus of star figures.

Living Leicester legends Ben Youngs and Dan Cole, as well as decorated former England team-mate Mike Brown, will retire at full-time on Saturday.

Cheika’s one-year stint at the helm will end too, in what is also a farewell match for captain Julian Montoya and two-time World Cup-winning South Africa fly-half Handre Pollard.

While the head coach is flying his wife and children over for the Twickenham decider, and playfully grimaces at the cost of doing so, he insists romanticising about leaving Leicester with the Premiership trophy in hand will not help their cause this week.

“We want to win for everyone,” Cheika said.

“That title is no more important to them [the departing players] than it is for the other guys, or the guys that don’t play, or the support team, or the crowd.

“It’s a club, mate, and we are all part of the club.