Leicester Tigers WRC have been crowned Super Series Division One champions following a successful season in the Great Britain’s top league, writes Nathaniel Holland.
Under the watchful eye of coaches Darren Matthews and Rob Tarr, Tigers managed to beat off close competition from West Coast Crash to win the league in Walsall last month.
And player Matt Sullivan (pictured below), who has played an important role in winning the league this season, couldn’t be happier after getting his hands on the trophy: “I am over the moon” he said.
“It has been a good weekend and good performances all around really. We came here with a job to do and we knew we had to perform and it wasn’t going to be a given. We came out and won our pool and we can be happy because everyone has had to a chance to play and it has been a good squad performance” continued the Tigers mid-pointer.
Tigers made their Super Series debut in Division Two in the 2013/14 season. They finished top of the table in their first season before registering a 2nd place finish in their first season in Division One in 2015.
Two 4th place finishes were to follow in 2015 and 2016 but after a season where they only lost once all year they can finally claim their first national title.
Sullivan added: “We set up a team that had goals in mind and that was to win the league. We had to make the decision as to whether we were here to compete and win or just to play and have fun and we chose the competition route.”
Sullivan, who transferred from Division Two side RGC, has seen an improvement in his own game playing with the likes of GB stars Gavin Walker and Jamie Stead: “Personally, for my development it has been great because there is a level that they expect you to play at, so you have try and match their level of performance. I’ve learned a lot since moving to Tigers and they are a team that demands a high standard from their players.”
Some of the Tigers squad were recently involved in the King Power Quad Nations Tournament last weekend and they have a little break from competition before the 2018 National Championships in April. Sullivan is confident that they can potentially mark the end of the season with the league and cup double: “I’d like to think we can maintain the current success. Having won the league, it definitely spurs us on. We are going to be the team to beat and we are a potential scalp for any team that comes up against us. We are going to have to keep up our current form and step up again in Kent because teams will be coming for us.”
Nathaniel Holland
