Last Friday, April 19, a group of Leicester Tigers legends celebrated the 45th anniversary of the famous John Player cup win from the 1978/79 season.

Hosted by former-player Nick Joyce, the occassion was attended by a number of the original squad that took part in the triumph.

Also in attendence were special guests including club historian Stuart Farmer, Matt Hampson OBE and Tigers legends from across generations including the likes of Lewis Moody MBE, Darren Garforth and Rory Underwood MBE.

The John Player cup victory was the first in a historic treble for the club, as the group, lead by captain Peter Wheeler on each occassion, triumphed in three consecutive seasons.

The feat was so monumental for the time, that Leicester Tigers were then awarded the trophy itself by tournament sponsor John Player. Now housed at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, the Cup took pride of place on a table decorated with memorabilia from a historic period in the club's history.

Wheeler, in attendence at the dinner, gave a well-recieved speech following the meals. The former captain thanked everyone for coming and regaled guests with stories from their playing days.

Wheeler also paid tribute to Garry Adey, who sadly passed away in August 2023; reminiscing over a match against Northampton Saints, their time on the road between games and matches they shared representing England internationally. He surmised the Tigers legend as 'a great mate, a great friend and a really good player'.

Club historian Stuart Farmer also made a speech, discussing the formation of the club's Heritage Number system and the various nuances that go into listing every single fixture and every single player that has pulled on a Leicester Tigers shirt.

A hugely successful occassion, the legendary John Player cup treble winners will be forever engrained in the history of Leicester Tigers.