Cheika appointment ‘exciting’ for Tigers – Youngs

Scrum-half Ben Youngs says Michael Cheika’s appointment as Leicester Tigers head coach has generated “excitement” among players after a season of “frustration”.

Former Australia and Argentina boss Cheika, who guided Leinster the European Champions Cup in 2009, replaced fellow Australian Dan McKellar at Mattioli Woods Welford Road earlier in the summer.

McKellar’s solitary season at the Tigers helm ended with the East Midlands club finishing eighth in the Premiership, having finished third in the table 12 months earlier and won the competition in 2022.

“Having Michael come in, he is a guy with huge pedigree,” Youngs told BBC Radio Leicester.

“When he walks in the room he instantly has that presence and that rugby nous, of having been there, done it and seen it all.

“So straight away that’s exciting for the squad, given how disappointing our standards were last year and what we expect as individuals and as a club.

“Having someone like Michael generally gets the club excited.”

After McKellar departure, it was reported that he had lost the confidence of senior Tigers player.

When asked if players had spoken about McKellar to club chiefs, former England international Youngs said: “At this club they have always wanted to get the dial of the players and I think that is really important.

“We don’t make decisions as players but we certainly have an informed view in terms of how we see things and how we have maybe worked with other coaches and done other things.

“I think that relationship is really important and brilliant.

“It’s a complement to the club that they feel comfortable enough, and reassured enough, that they still make the big decisions, of course they do and that’s beyond us as players, but they still have the ability to talk to us, understand, and sit down and chat and communicate.”

When asked what the feelings about last season were, Youngs said there was “frustration” because “what we [were] putting out wasn’t at the standard and level we expect”.

“The general sense was that the squad wasn’t playing at the level it was capable of,” he added.