The white smoke that Leicester Tigers used in their social media post to signify the imminent appointment of Geoff Parling as head coach was a self-referential nod to a process that has taken as many twists and turns as a Robert Harris novel. While far from straightforward, the conclave inside Welford Road are convinced they have a candidate ready to lead them into a new era.
It is not far off a calendar year that Leicester appointed Michael Cheika as their head coach for the 2024-25 season. It was the end of June and the Tigers announced that their former boss, Dan McKellar, would be suddenly leaving the club and returning to his native Australia.