Freddie Burns, the match-winner for Leicester, admitted he could hardly believe the dramatic conclusion of the Premiership final, in which he kicked the game-winning drop goal to deny Saracens in the final minute.
When George Ford limped off in the first half, Burns was called upon to play a larger role than he had anticipated, despite having successfully revived his professional career at Leicester after a stint in Japan. “I’m in disbelief right now. Usually, I’m not at a loss for words, but I cannot believe I’m sitting here. I managed to knock it over even though it was a dead duck, but I don’t care. It passed through.
“We’ve been a fighting team all year, as evidenced by our numerous victories. I don’t believe people gave us much of a chance. Everyone was talking about the Saracens’ star players, but I wouldn’t have traded any of our players for any of theirs. Simply by continuing to fight, we were ultimately successful. To give the fans this moment and recognition for their support means the world to everyone at Tigers.
Their head coach, Steve Borthwick, praised the composed manner in which his players created the opportunity for Burns to prevent the game from going into extra time. Borthwick remarked, “Their composure in gaining a better position was phenomenal.” “It was very impressive that they were able to think so clearly so late in a grueling game. I watched him [Freddie Burns] hit these balls yesterday on the practice field… he’s got steel nerves, doesn’t he?”
The recent death of Tiffany Youngs, the wife of former club captain Tom Youngs, heightened the emotion surrounding Leicester’s first championship in nine years. Borthwick stated, “Everyone in the club has worked hard to achieve this position.” “I’m just delighted for everyone. Everyone at the club continues to grieve for the Youngs family. It was very classy for Tom Youngs and Ellis [Genge] to collect the trophy together at the end.
Sometimes this can occur if you have a crystal-clear plan for what you’re going to do. You want to win rugby games, but you also need to make your family and friends proud of you.
The director of rugby for Saracens, Mark McCall, acknowledged that Leicester, who topped the regular-season table, had earned their success. McCall stated, “They kept us in our half for long periods and backed that up with a brilliant defence.” “It was extremely frustrating, but they were largely to blame. Today was a bit suffocating. It was difficult to subdue them. “Kudos to them, they performed admirably.”
