Cockerill: It's wide open

Cockerill: Little between the sides

There is lots of competition. Last year we won the final in the last 30 seconds after playing 23/24 games of Premiership rugby so the margins between the sides are tiny.

Richard Cockerill
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Leicester director of rugby Richard Cockerill believes there is little to choose between the sides in this season's Aviva Premiership.

Cockerill and his Tigers go into the new season as the reigning champions, having snatched the title at the death against Saracens.

Leicester's 33-27 success - courtesy of a dramatic Dan Hipkiss try in the final minutes - meant the Welford Road outfit secured their third Premiership title in six successive final appearances.

However despite being favourites once again to finish top of the pile, Cockerill has no doubt about the challenge ahead for his sides.

From Saracens down to new boys Exeter, Cockerill insists that all the teams deserve respect ahead of the new campaign.

"We don't worry about any of the other sides," Cockerill told skysports.com. "But we've got complete respect for all of them, from Exeter right up to the established sides at the top.

"There is lots of competition. Last year we won the final in the last 30 seconds after playing 23/24 games of Premiership rugby so the margins between the sides are tiny.

"Three minutes to go and Saracens were champions, three minutes later we were champions...because it is that tight.

"Of course we want to try and win it but the reality is that there will be lots of peaks and troughs.

"We will take a measured view across the year. Last year we lost the first game against Sale but we went on to finish top and they ended up finishing 11th so you can't get too ahead of yourself and you can't get too down on yourself."

Cockerill has been handed a new role ahead of the season, having been named director of rugby in the summer, while Matt O'Connor has stepped up to become head coach.

Cockerill, though, insists it will be business as usual - and he will continue to be better known for shouting at the players than his administration skills.

Reward

"Nothing changes. I still coach the forwards and shout at the boys quite a lot," he admitted.

"I'm on the field as much, if not more than ever. So it was just basically some contract extensions for myself and Matt O'Connor. Matt has been given the job title of head coach and has been doing a really good job. He runs the attack and he does a lot of the team stuff and he does at least 50 per cent of the coaching on the field so it's a bit of a reward for him.

"Obviously in job title, I now become director of rugby but I'm not very good at administration.

"I'm a far better coach which doesn't say much for my administration skills. Nothing really changes, it was just a slight move around really and more of it was about some security."

Despite seeing the likes of Lewis Moody and Sam Vesty move to Bath and Harry Ellis and Ben Kay retire, Cockerill has kept together the core of the squad that lifted the title.

And some wise moves in the transfer market - with the likes of Thomas Waldrom, George Skivington, Lee Robinson and Horacio Agulla coming in - has meant those gaps have been quickly filled.

"Thomas Wardrom will replace the hole that Lewis Moody left, which is not quite like for like but with Craig Newby and Ben Woods we have some good cover there," said Cockerill.

"The good thing is that we will have Thomas for the whole season as he won't be away for Tests or anything like that.

"Ben Kay has retired but George Skivington has come in. Harry Ellis has retired through injury but Sam Harrison has stepped up from our academy and he has played with England Under-20s previously so obviously there are some changes on the pitch but our attitude remains the same.

"People move on that that's just the professional game. We've got some very good senior players and for us it's pretty seamless. We've got who we've got, we get on and it's business as usual."