Cockerill eyes O'Connor deal

Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill believes head coach Matt O'Connor will be at Welford Road next season.

With Richard Graham being sacked by Super 15 outfit Western Force, O'Connor has been linked with a return Down Under, having worked with Australia A and the Brumbies. However the talented coach, who helped Leicester reach the Aviva Premiership Grand Final this term only to be denied by Harlequins, now looks set to continue at the home of the Tigers for a number of seasons to come. Cockerill is confident the East Midlands outfit will be able to retain O'Connor's services for next year, as the club hope to bring more silverware to Welford Road. He told the Leicester Mercury: "Matt has not applied for the job and he has no intention of taking it. "In fact, I have already started discussing the possibility of him extending his contract and staying here for longer."