The pivotal role Richard Wigglesworth played in rescuing Leicester after England took Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield mid-season can today be fully revealed.
Two days before the Rugby Football Union announced in December that the pair would be taking charge, Borthwick broke the news to his Tigers squad. By then it was rugby’s worst kept secret but none of the players knew Sinfield would be going too. Leicester hoped he would take over from Borthwick.
That afternoon Tigers beat Clermont in the Champions Cup, Wigglesworth coming off the bench for what would turn out to be his last game as a player. As the players walked back into the home changing room chief executive Andrea Pinchen caught wind that Borthwick was about to make his announcement.
Knowing it was her responsibility to manage the level of impact on the club, and worried it would become “death by 1000 cuts” if bad news was dragged out over a number of days, she told Sinfield he needed to tell the players at the same time.
“I don't think he was prepared for that,” she admitted. “It was a very intense moment for all of us.
“Steve spoke and said what I’m pretty sure everyone was expecting to hear. Then Kev took his turn. I think most of the players thought he was going to stay.
“What he said came as a shock, a lot of them I think were upset. Understandably so. Kev is not just a brilliant coach but a brilliant person.”
Amid the raw emotion and uncertainty one decision stood out. Pinchen knew Borthwick wanted Wigglesworth, too, but says he "put his own feelings to one side", agreeing to stay and take charge for the rest of the season, retiring from playing with immediate effect.
“Wiggy didn’t want anybody to know, at that point, that this had been his last game,” she added. “He wanted to tell the lads in his own time.
“I can’t speak more highly of him and the way he stepped up, literally stopping his playing career one day and taking charge the next.”
Under the ex-England scrum-half's steadying influence the Premiership champions rallied to win six of their last seven league games and snatch a top-four finish.
“To think of the emotional turmoil he must have been in, yet he took it on his shoulders and led us to third place," she added. "It’s probably a bigger success story in those terms than Tigers winning the Premiership last year."
Semi-final defeat at Sale last Sunday brought an end to Wigglesworth’s time at the club and he now joins England's World Cup preparations, to coach attack and kicking strategy, in place of temporary hire Nick Evans.
Leicester start a new chapter with Dan McKellar, formerly Australia forwards coach under Eddie Jones, taking up the role of head coach.
