Cockerill hails Tigers focus

Richard Cockerill hailed Leicester's mental focus after his side ran in five tries to trounce Gloucester at Welford Road.

Leicester boss delighted after one-sided win at Welford Road

Leicester boss Richard Cockerill hailed his side's mental focus after the Tigers ran in five tries to trounce play-off rivals Gloucester 36-3 at Welford Road. Scrum-half Ben Youngs, prop Logovi'i Mulipola and flanker Steve Mafi scored first-half tries, before centre Matt Smith's 58th-minute score sealed a bonus point and an Alesana Tuilagi breakaway effort confirmed the rout. The one-sided win kept the Tigers firmly in the Aviva Premiership title play-off zone and Cockerill was delighted with his side. He said: "The pressure was on us today - we probably had to win more than Gloucester did. "It shows that if you have the right mental focus, you can turn things around pretty quickly, and I didn't feel that Gloucester were at the races against us. "We knew that if we matched them physically, and with the weather conditions like they were, it would probably suit us more than them."

Showered praise

Cockerill also showered praise on Toby Flood and Ben Youngs, who are currently filling bench roles for England in the RBS 6 Nations Championship but ran the show behind an imperious Leicester pack. Youngs scored one try and helped create two others, while Flood booted 11 points and kept Gloucester on the back foot through his masterly tactical kicking in miserable conditions. "Ben and Toby came back to us on Thursday, and we wanted them to enjoy it today and have a crack," Cockerill added. "We know they are quality players, and I thought they did some fantastic things. Their attitude was really good." Flood added: "It was great to have 70-odd minutes and to feel amongst it. "I thought Ben was outstanding. He has been a bit frustrated of late, but he was a real threat. He enjoys running the game."

No punches

Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath pulled no punches after seeing his team suffer their heaviest Premiership defeat since leaders Harlequins thumped them 42-6 six months ago. "We were well and truly beaten," he said. "You have got to turn up and do the basics, but our basics weren't good enough. "Mentally, we didn't turn up. It does not mean you are a bad team, but we have lost to a side that has always thrived in conditions like that. "There were some harsh words said at half-time, and we will take the criticism. I want to know why we didn't turn up, mentally. "We have got three of our remaining five league games at home, and a lot of dogfights are going to happen between now and the end of the season. "Today was a great kick in the backside for us. We were second-best in most things, but there is no doubt the next five games are massive."