Tigers have new sense of unity, says Heyes

Joe Heyes began his post-match press conference speaking about scoring on his 100th Leicester start and ended it waxing lyrical about butchering wild animals with his teammates.

- Ross Heppenstall

It said much for the unity of a Tigers side who climbed to within a point of second-placed Bath with a bonus-point victory that confirmed a playoff place and encouraged hopes of a top-two finish.

Leicester ran in seven tries against a Sale side whose own playoff hopes have long since ended and Heyes capped a period of pressure on the hosts’ line for their fourth try shortly before the interval.

Geoff Parling’s men, still bubbling from their 41-17 win over Northampton last weekend, oozed confidence and physicality before easing off and letting Sale score three tries in the final quarter.

Heyes, who enjoyed an outstanding game, revealed: ‘It’s no amazing secret recipe, but the lads are hanging out more with each other off the pitch than at any time since I’ve been here.

‘We’re playing golf and on Thursday we did a wild butchery course, provided by the Rugby Players Association, and were butchering wild deer and rabbits. I’ve got eight legs in a big chest freezer and I enjoy it even though I’ve got a bit of a weak stomach. But there’s a massive connectivity there and it showed again today.’