Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill has called on the team to prove their critics wrong as they continue to deal with a number of injuries.
The club have added another player to their injury list, in the form of England hooker Tom Youngs, who is expected to be out of action for around three months with a shoulder problem.
"We need to show some steel and backbone," Cockerill told BBC East Midlands Today. "We need to get out there, do what we do and keep the critics quiet. Those that want to throw mud can throw it, and we will just get on with it."
The Tigers were thrashed 45-0 by Bath at the weekend.
