How Tigers turnover helped Cracknell win Wales caps

Wales back-rower Olly Cracknell said the high turnover of bosses at Leicester Tigers helped him finally realise his life-long ambitions of international rugby.

The number eight spoke about how he had stopped dreaming of playing for his country and that his focus had shifted to excelling at club level before he finally earned his first cap at the age of 31 in November.

Leeds-born Cracknell left Ospreys to move back to English rugby with London Irish in 2021, and within a season he had relocated to Leicester Tigers.

Steve Borthwick was the Tigers boss who signed Cracknell and when he left for the England job, the 2022-23 season was seen out with Richard Wigglesworth in charge.

Australians Dan McKellar and Michael Cheika spent a season each in the job after that, before decorated former Tigers player Geoff Parling took over this term.

The top job at Mattioli Woods Welford Road has been described as "volatile", but playing under such a spectrum of coaches – from England boss Borthwick and former Australia and Argentina head coach Cheika – has proven useful in helping Cracknell finally crack it as an international player.

"I'm pretty grateful to Leicester, the time I've spent here I've learned so much," he told BBC Radio Leicester.

"I've been lucky to have five different coaches. It's obviously difficult in terms of a lack of stability, but then I've learned so much from the different coaches that I've had.

"I felt so prepared [for international rugby]. Last year in particular, having Check as a coach, who had done so much internationally, I think was really helpful for me.

"And I spoke to him that week [of my Wales debut] and that was helpful because it gave me that assurance that I'm ready for this. I had that confidence."

Cracknell has made more than 70 appearances across all competitions for Tigers in his three-and-a-half years with the East Midlands side.

In December he committed his future to Leicester, signing a new contract just a month after earning his long-awaited first cap for Wales.

It was after Leicester faced Exeter Chiefs in their final game of 2025 - a match the Tigers lost - that Cracknell reflected on what he had achieved last year.

He recalled the meeting in which he learned of his Wales selection, and the speech delivered by national team boss Steve Tandy, that stood out as particularly poignant moment in his life and career.

"Tandy had given me my first professional contract at Ospreys, so for me it was kind of a full circle moment," Cracknell said.

"He said a couple of words at the end, because I was the only one named who was making their debut, and he said well done on pushing hard and not giving up on it.

"But I could see while he was talking that he looked at me, and I was quite emotional at that point, and he had to stop talking because he could see I was going. It was special moment."

Cracknell will have the upcoming Six Nations tournament in his sights, but with a packed schedule of Prem and European Champions Cup fixtures to come before that in January he said international rugby "hasn't been on my mind".

"It was a special time, but it's gone now and I'm very aware that I need to keep pushing to get better in this Leicester team," he said.