Is it finally safe for Leicester Tigers supporters to feel optimistic again?

Leicester Tigers have let go high-profile players in the past. Lewis Moody departed for Bath in 2010. Andy Goode moved to Saracens in 2002. The fly-half then returned for a second spell at Welford Road before joining Brive.

Earlier this year, as it became apparent that England wing Jonny May was facing a drastic pay-cut and might well go, Geordan Murphy continually stressed that Leicester lose good men every season.

But, by any measure, 2020 has seen a remarkable turnover at Tigers. One can select a very respectable team of players who have left the East Midlands since January.

Telusa Veainu would be full-back with May and one of either Jonah Holmes or Adam Thompstone on either wing. Manu Tuilagi could choose a centre partner from either Noel Reid or Kyle Eastmond. Sam Costelow and Sam Harrison are the half-backs.

Greg Bateman, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Gaston Cortes form the front row. Will Spencer and Joe Batley occupy the engine-room. Sione Kalamafoni, Guy Thompson and Ifereimi Boladau complete the pack.

Different circumstances surround each individual, with some simply finishing loans. But this group features nine capped internationals – as well as Costelow, a star of Wales age-grade rugby rated highly by Wayne Pivac – and boasts over 60 Test tries between them.

Who would prevail if this fictional side came up against the authentic Leicester outfit that will take on Exeter Chiefs when the Premiership restarts next weekend? At the end of a chaotic summer, the answer should hearten Tigers supporters. It is probably whichever squad has Steve Borthwick.

Friction between Leicester’s board and its players, an open secret for years, caught fire during lockdown. Contract disputes rumbled. Legal advice was sought by players. Chief executive Simon Cohen, often the public face that absorbed fans’ frustrations, was replaced by Andrea Pinchen. A stand-off then cost five first-teamers, including Tuilagi and Veainu.

Borthwick, the new head coach, arrived in the middle of this to oversee a side that has lost 23 of their last 35 Premiership games. The squad has been mended by patchwork recruitment. An excellent operator – secured by Cohen, it should be said – will attempt to stitch things together.

“Steve’s come in and has been so clear with everything,” explained lock Calum Green last month. “There’s nothing where you think: ‘I’m not sure about this’. He’s direct, simple with his messages and knows the game inside out.

“He’s always asking ‘why?’. He’s always getting us to think about different scenarios – ‘if we have a lineout and we’re down to 14 with the hooker in the bin, how do we deal with it?’

“That is something that, maybe, we didn’t have much of over the last couple of years.”

For Ben Youngs, George Ford, Ellis Genge and Dan Cole, such meticulousness will be familiar. Eddie Jones jokes about Borthwick’s penchant for laptops. But a wider remit at Leicester, as opposed to a focus on forwards with England, is new.

Murphy, now director of rugby, said last week that it felt right to concede the deciding vote on selection matters to Borthwick, who held a meeting for staff at Welford Road on one of his first days in the post. Ramming home the connection between the club and the city of Leicester, it was the move of an engaging figurehead.

Back-rower Luke Wallace, a recent recruit with a slightly ethereal disposition, has lauded the “energy” around training. There have been strong hints that Borthwick advised on a few aspects of the Tigers set-up, including the importance of a charismatic motivator like conditioner guru Aled Walters, prior to parting with the RFU. He seems to be very much in charge already.

When the 40-year-old stressed that “nobody has higher expectations of me than I have of myself,” in his first Zoom press conference, his reputation and his tone had you convinced. Borthwick is thoroughly realistic about Leicester’s situation – which might become more real after their trip to Sandy Park – yet passionate about improving it.

Re-signing explosive back-rower Jordan Taufua felt crucial. He and Nemani Nadolo take some tackling. Academy graduates from Tigers’ run of three consecutive Premiership Under-18 titles should start to push through as well. Watch out for full-back Freddie Steward and lock George Martin.

Mike Ford has shifted across the backroom to supervise defence and there have been encouraging noises about attack coach Rob Taylor, previously with Sydney University. Taylor gave an interesting interview before leaving Australia.

“Leicester Tigers is a massive club,” he said. “If you’re older than 30, you know of their dominance and their history.”

Taylor clearly did not intend to sound cutting. Indeed, his sentiment should reassure Tigers fans. Under Borthwick, the intention is to work towards a more illustrious future rather than bask in former glories.