Grieving Cracknell 'unbelievable' in Tigers win

Olly Cracknell has been with Leicester Tigers since 2022

Olly Cracknell's stoic performance in Leicester's opening-day win at Exeter after the death of his father was hailed as "unbelievable" by fellow Tigers back-rower Hanro Liebenberg.

The 30-year-old flanker started and played the entire game at Sandy Park, which Tigers dramatically clinched 17-14 to deliver a first win for new head coach Michael Cheika.

Tigers' Australian boss revealed Cracknell's personal loss after the match, and Liebenberg went on to pay tribute to his team-mate after a grief-stricken week.

"The whole team got behind Olly," Liebenberg said of their support for grieving Cracknell.

"What surprised me was Olly’s reaction. He was unbelievable on Saturday - he didn’t show any emotion until the end of the game and I take my hat off to him.

"To perform under that pressure and burden on your shoulders is unbelievable."

Cheika had said the entire club was "feeling" for Cracknell as he dealt with his loss and said there was "respect" for the player and his entre family for the way he put himself forward for selection during an emotional time.

"I left him all week and he called me up and said that his family wanted him to play, that that's what his dad would have wanted," Cheika said

"That type of performance, under that strain, is fantastic. He played 80 minutes, was physical, went hard at it.

"It's more about the collective. I just wanted to mention that because it was a fantastic effort from a fantastic person."