Some regular seasons end with a bang, offering an explosion of colour and sound that underlines a campaign well fought and serves as a platform for greater prizes in the playoffs. Others sparkle with the intensity of a toddler’s birthday candle, proving as enticing as spit-covered cake. The 24th and final league match for Leicester and Wasps fell in the latter category.
It was error strewn and bereft of show-stopping moments. “Clunky,” was the word Leicester’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, used. Even a boring rugby match – and this one might well be described in such terms – is filled with big hits and enthusiastic runs, so those don’t deserve mention here. What is worth noting is that Leicester’s full-strength team failed to get out of second gear while Wasps missed a chance to sneak into next year’s Champions Cup. Both sets of coaches will be annoyed by something when they wake up on Sunday.
