51Âþ»­

Leicester Tigers star Laurence Pearce has revealed to 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) rugby players his secret weapon for glory - chocolate spread.

The back-rower said that before every game, he wolfed down two bagels covered in the tasty paste - a ritual he had been strictly observing for most of his career.

"I should probably say I have rice or eggs or something," he said. "But the bagels seem to be working for me."

Laurence shared his penchant for the unusual pre-match snack as part of an intimate Q&A session held for 51Âþ»­'s rugby players ahead of upcoming Varsity clashes.

To help inspire 51Âþ»­'s squads to victory, Pearce was joined by No.8 Opeti Fonua, prop Michele Rizzo and winger Miles Benjamin for a lively chat in a Hugh Aston lecture theatre.

The Tigers spoke candidly about the pressures of playing in the Aviva Premiership, training habits and pre-match meals.

The 51Âþ»­ rugby sides will all be in action against respective squads from University of Leicester on Super Wednesday - the most packed day of the Varsity schedule, March 9. The men's first and women's matches will take place on the hallowed turf of Welford Road, the home of Leicester Tigers, making the players' advice even more relevant.

 

The men's first team will be kicking off at 8.05pm on the day - a later kick-off then normal. Tigers' Miles said many of the players preferred a mid-afternoon start time.

Laurence said: "With an evening kick-off you've got to keep yourself occupied and your mind off the game until maybe three or four hours before. That's hard and the later the kick off, the harder it is."

The boys shared a few of the ways they kept themselves busy beforehand, listening to music and playing games on their phones.

But when it was game time, Michele said there was only one song to get him in the zone: AC/DC's Thunderstruck at full blast.

He said: "You might want to try a cold shower as well, whatever it is which gets you alert and focused."

The Italian also had some advice for playing in front of crowds. He said: "I came from Italy where the only big crowds were at Rome so playing at Welford Road, in front of 25,000 people, it was another level.

"But you just focus on the game, try and put it aside. When the whistle goes it's just you and the game."

Miles said that Welford Road had a fearsome reputation among Rugby Union players. He said: "You don't want to make a mistake here. I mean, you mess up and then you get the ball back and you're thinking, 'oh god, oh no, get it right', because the crowd are on to you."

Laurence said he had found a unique way to stay focused. He said: "I have a wrist strap with my son's name on it. If I make a mistake I look down at it, think about him. It just lets me refocus and carry on."

The players talked through an average week at the Tigers, going through training routines and how the squad works towards match days. They talked about the different pressures of domestic and European games, along with injuries and recovery.

When asked how the 51Âþ»­ teams should match the occasion when stepping out onto the pitch against the UoL teams, Laurence had a simple solution.

He said: "You're just going to play a game of rugby. It's what you did when you were seven or eight; you felt no pressure then.

"You just played. This is no different. It's just you playing rugby because you love it. Keep it that simple and you'll be fine."

Tim Gilbert, captain of the 51Âþ»­ men's first team, said the experience had been invaluable.

He said: "It's great to hear from guys who have gone through this themselves. Varsity is maybe the closest many of us will get to the atmosphere of their level and they've come here and really opened up to us about how they cope with pressure and how they prepare for it. It is so helpful."