Leeds coach Back staying silent over his future at Headingley

Leeds Carnegie’s head coach insists his focus, and that of his players, is solely on a game Leeds must take at least a draw from to have any chance of avoiding relegation from the Premiership.

But such is the chasm between the spotlight of the Premiership and the relative backwater of the Championship – from where Back has already once before dragged Leeds up from – his reticence to commit beyond the trip to Franklins Gardens is perhaps understandable.

“I’m focussing on Saturday and getting the result we need to stay in the Premiership,” was his response this week to the question of whether he would see out the remaining year of his contract if Leeds were playing in the Championship next season.

“We’ll answer that after the weekend, that’s where all my energy is at the moment and that’s where everybody’s energy is focussed, on doing all that we can at the weekend.”

As a player Back was a serial winner with Leicester Tigers and England and the first two years of his coaching career have brought relative success with promotion and survival achieved on a shoe-string budget.

But Leeds have failed to build on that platform this term and that they are still in a position to avoid relegation having at one stage trailed Newcastle Falcons by 11 points, owes much to Back’s mental resolve and motivational powers.

Yet a second season of having the smallest budget in the top flight at his disposal has frustrated him, and while he has at times relished the chance to maximise the potential of lesser lights in his playing squad, the bigger picture has undermined him.

Earlier this week England hooker Steve Thompson – the most high-profile summer signing made by Back and then-director of rugby Andy Key – opted to sign a contract with Wasps for the next three years.

Back spoke of his disappointment at his former international team-mate’s departure and when asked if there was anything more the club could have done to persuade Thompson to stay, Back said: “Me personally? No.”

That would suggest his frustration at the funds at his disposal, whichever division the club find themselves in next season. With repayments on a debt of nearly £2m to start on July 1, Leeds will have limited resources again, and even springing a surprise at Heineken Cup finalists Northampton tomorrow would be no guarantee that they would have the finances to build on an 11th-place finish.

Back has one year left on a contract he signed last year and would not confirm or deny that he had a get-out clause written into it, in the event of relegation.

He did say that the majority of players contracted to next season do not have release clauses, which, encouragingly for Leeds, hints at a strong unit capable of returning at the first time of asking from a second tier that is getting increasingly competitive despite the situation of this season where of the four teams that qualified for the play-off semi-finals, only Worcester meet the criteria to earn promotion.

Leeds may still be reprieved from relegation – should they need to be – if Cornish Pirates defeat Worcester, thus ensuring there is no promotion and demotion.

But that is not a noble way to avoid what is fact, no matter how gratefully Leeds would accept that lifeline.

For in his three years at Headingley Carnegie, Back – initially along with Key – has spoken of a three-year plan: promotion, survival and progression.

Only the third leg of that has not come to fruition and he has rarely, if ever, spoken of a fourth year of that plan despite his contract suggesting otherwise.

There could be a number of jobs available in the Premiership this summer, with Wasps seeking a director of rugby and a potential head coach position coming up at Bath.

And 42-year-old Back has a burning ambition to match his glittering playing achievements in his coaching career.

Of his time at Leeds, he said this week: “In terms of developing as a coach this has been an invaluable experience here.

“If you can be successful with limited resources and budget, you have to continually maximise the potential of everyone. Then when you are fully resourced you will have learnt some valuable lessons.

“I love my job, love coming into work every day, it’s a career path I recognised as a player that I wanted to get into and I am privileged to do it.

“The management team here are fully committed.”

How long Back is committed could depend on the outcome of tomorrow’s game and his burning desire to succeed.

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