Geordan Murphy provides ample inspiration for Leicester Tigers' young stars as they aim for another successful Premiership Rugby 7s series, says development squad prospect George Tresidder.
The 19-year-old scrum-half praised the motivational qualities of Tigers assistant backs coach Murphy, who takes charge of the 7s team at Darlington tomorrow.
He believes this will spur them on to surpass last year's runners-up finish.
Tresidder, who was handed a first-team contract at Tigers this summer, was part of the 7s side that surprised the opposition last year as they went all the way to the final, despite no previous victories in the first three years of the competition.
And he thinks it was Murphy, then acting as coach for the first time since his retirement from playing, who propelled them there.
"Geordan's great," he said. "Last year, it was his first time out coaching, so we didn't really know what to expect.
"But in terms of giving us the inspiration to go and achieve what we wanted to achieve, and more than we expected to achieve, you can't really put words to it. It was just fantastic.
"It's interesting because before last year I don't think we'd even won a game, so we exceeded what the other clubs expected of us.
"There will be added pressure this year, as other sides will be looking for us more than they have done in the past. That is an added challenge and an interesting challenge that we're all looking forward to."
Certain qualities come to the fore in the scaled-down form of the game. With fewer team-mates to watch your back, missed tackles are even more damaging than usual, while more ground to cover means stamina is crucial.
Tresidder believes an all-round rugby skill-set is paramount for success in 7s.
"You have to be skilful in all aspects of the game," he said. "You're not just a scrum-half, or just a fly-half, you have to move across the pitch and have all those skills on a more regular basis, whereas in 15s you're very much a cog in a well-oiled team.
"One-on-one tackling is very important. If you miss a tackle, it's likely the other team will score a try, it's as simple as that. I'm one of the smaller guys on the pitch, so if that lets me down, it's glaringly obvious.
"And there's nowhere to hide in 7s. It's a very open game, which means fitness is key. As it's spread out, you need to be on top of your game and your passing and your movement have got to be precise.
"But highlighting those skills will make it easier when it comes to the 15-man season."
