Matt O'Connor's potential successors: Who should get the nod at Leicester?

After only the first game of the season, where they were smashed 40-6 by Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park, the Tigers suddenly find themselves with an interim Head Coach.

This decision had been a long time coming, and it is strange that this decision was not made at the end of last season.

Here's a closer look at seven of the potential candidates and how they would fit in at Welford Road.

Quoted at 14-1 in one list the great bear of English rugby has already been treated badly enough by Leicester once to probably tell them to do one if they approached him. A legend as a player at Welford Road, he went on to coach Tigers to two European Cups and four Premiership titles before being given the boot in 2004.

His crime then was that Leicester were struggling in the league, and that was not a shock considering they had supplied the guts of the England team that won the World Cup a couple of months later.

Richards, who was quite rightly appalled at the decision, asked for his memorabilia to be returned by the club. He has since had success at Harlequins, but that ended in disgrace, but is doing something at Newcastle where he has a decent crop of young players. Richards likes the life-style in the north-east – and a lot of hatchets would have to be buried for him to go back to Leicester.

Andy Goode, another former Tiger, has already been banging the drum for Johnno to come out of hibernation and ruffle a few feathers at Welford Road. He was king of the rugby jungle when Leicester were kings of rugby and is probably England and Leicester’s greatest player with a pile of trophies, in 362 games for Tigers, and that World Cup win for England. Johnson had an ill-starred time as England manager when he was let down by the players, in the 2011 World Cup, and probably shouldn’t have taken the job but only did out of a sense of duty.

And don’t forget he won England’s last Six Nations title that year before the Eddie Jones revolution hit Twickenham. Johnson knows how to deal with the people upstairs at Welford Road and can’t be a corporate ambassador, and part-time cyclist, forever. He has got too much to give the game and, at 46, still has time on his side. It would be fascinating if he pitched up……. and what a story.

Mallinder is currently working as the England pathway coach at the RFU. He has recently been to South Africa with the U18 squad. However according to Rugby Inside Line sources within the RFU he is keen to find a leading Premiership job as soon as he can.

The former Northampton Director of Rugby would be a surprise choice due to the fierce rivalry between the East-Midlands clubs.

Ford, the father of the Tigers’ England fly-half, George, is already among the names being linked with the vacancy.

Andy Goode has already suggested that the Tigers steer clear of Ford, who also had a lengthy spell as England defence coach. He is currently coaching in the United States.

Many see the current interim head coach as a likely successor to O’Connor. Murphy is Leicester through-and-through, he is well respected by those at the club and knows how everything works around Welford Road.

The former England coach heads the lists sent out by some of the odds-makers and with pretty good reason. After the dismal World Cup, which we won’t go over again here, Lancaster travelled round the world and had stints in cycling, football, American Football and coached in the Mitre 10 Cup in New Zealand. Then he surprised us all by pitching up at Leinster in September to help out Leo Cullen.

His role there has been more hands-on than it was with England, Cullen does all the so-called ‘big picture stuff’, but, as his family still live in Leeds, Lancaster could be ready for a return to the Premiership when his temporary deal finishes in Ireland. A decent bloke he might still be tainted by the World Cup fiasco in the eyes of people east of the Irish Sea.

South Africa's 2007 World Cup-winning boss pretty much finds himself linked with every top job that becomes available. His pedigree is an outstanding one, and it would be no surprise if he featured prominently in Leicester's thoughts.