Cockerill hails spirit as Tigers snatch draw

LEICESTER boss Richard Cockerill watched the injury-ravaged Tigers earn a pulsating Heineken Cup draw with the Ospreys and hailed: “You can buy a team but you can’t buy spirit”.

The Tigers had already been decimated by injury when the loss of four key players before kick-off forced Cockerill into a backline reshuffle.

Harry Ellis, Matt Smith and Aaron Mauger failed fitness tests and Dan Hipkiss was ruled out with a virus after failing to come through the warm-up. The Tigers were left with just one back on the bench and flanker Craig Newby played the whole second half at inside centre in place of the injured Anthony Allen.