And what else would make Austin Healey happy?

"To try and get through the season injury-free, to have a good year, enjoy myself and try and come away with just the Guinness Premiership, the Heineken Cup and the Powergen Cup at the end of it."

Is that all then?

Austin smiles, before turning serious, for once: "Look, if physically I'm fit then I'll be playing. Last year I deteriorated from November onwards to the end of the season with sciatica. It was very difficult to play and train, I was missing most of the training sessions and hardly training at all, but yet managing to go out with pain-killing injections. I've said to myself it's not something I'm going to do this season just to allow me to play; I need to make sure my body's healthy for the rest of my life ... not just for rugby."

"I need to make sure my body's healthy for the rest of my life ... not just for rugby"

Despite an injury-riddled 2004/05 season, Austin played in 23 of Leicester's 33 matches - scoring six tries in the process, just one behind a certain Leon Lloyd! - before enjoying a relaxing off-season, one of the best he has ever had.

"When I got back I needed a bit of a boost with my injuries, so I went to Germany to see Dr Hans Muller-Wolfhart, the German specialist who has treated guys like Steve Gerrard, Michael Owen and José Maria Olazabal, and I came back raring to go," he says. "My only problem last week was getting four stitches in my toe after I cut it in the pool when Lewis Moody kept my head under water. Lewis said I shouldn't have panicked ... I said it's natural to panic when you think you're going to drown. I kicked the ladder in the pool, cut my toe and a few minutes later Doc Finlay was putting in some stitches."

Well, luckily Austin's stitches are now out and he can ponder today's challenge against Munster, with him saying: "It's always good to play a strong side like Munster a week before the season proper as it prepares you. No disrespect to The Borders and Connacht, but we've taken a step up every week as we ramp ourselves up for the 2005/06 season."

And when the season proper gets under way, Tigers will host East Midlands rivals, Northampton Saints, who have big-name signing Carlos Spencer in their ranks.

Austin adds: "Northampton have strengthened their squad. They will be major contenders and we'll find out how good they are in the first game of the season when they come down here to play us. But I think we've made one of the best signings in Shane Jennings and he could well prove to be a superstar of the season."
"I want to be the leading try-scorer at Tigers so Leon can take me out for dinner this year," says Austin, "now that would make me happy."

And what else would make Austin Healey happy?

"To try and get through the season injury-free, to have a good year, enjoy myself and try and come away with just the Guinness Premiership, the Heineken Cup and the Powergen Cup at the end of it."

Is that all then?

Austin smiles, before turning serious, for once: "Look, if physically I'm fit then I'll be playing. Last year I deteriorated from November onwards to the end of the season with sciatica. It was very difficult to play and train, I was missing most of the training sessions and hardly training at all, but yet managing to go out with pain-killing injections. I've said to myself it's not something I'm going to do this season just to allow me to play; I need to make sure my body's healthy for the rest of my life ... not just for rugby."

Despite an injury-riddled 2004/05 season, Austin played in 23 of Leicester's 33 matches - scoring six tries in the process, just one behind a certain Leon Lloyd! - before enjoying a relaxing off-season, one of the best he has ever had.

"When I got back I needed a bit of a boost with my injuries, so I went to Germany to see Dr Hans Muller-Wolfhart, the German specialist who has treated guys like Steve Gerrard, Michael Owen and José Maria Olazabal, and I came back raring to go," he says. "My only problem last week was getting four stitches in my toe after I cut it in the pool when Lewis Moody kept my head under water. Lewis said I shouldn't have panicked ... I said it's natural to panic when you think you're going to drown. I kicked the ladder in the pool, cut my toe and a few minutes later Doc Finlay was putting in some stitches."

Well, luckily Austin's stitches are now out and he can ponder today's challenge against Munster, with him saying: "It's always good to play a strong side like Munster a week before the season proper as it prepares you. No disrespect to The Borders and Connacht, but we've taken a step up every week as we ramp ourselves up for the 2005/06 season."

And when the season proper gets under way, Tigers will host East Midlands rivals, Northampton Saints, who have big-name signing Carlos Spencer in their ranks.

"It's natural to panic when you think you're going to drown"

Austin adds: "Northampton have strengthened their squad. They will be major contenders and we'll find out how good they are in the first game of the season when they come down here to play us. But I think we've made one of the best signings in Shane Jennings and he could well prove to be a superstar of the season."