Tigers produced assured performances in both legs of their Round of 16 encounter against ASM Clermont Auvergne, triumphing 56-27 on aggregate.

After a 27-17 victory in the second leg at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Saturday, Leicester now look forward to a home quarter-final against four-time European champions Leinster Rugby.

“Of course, we will enjoy it, we enjoy every victory, but we don’t get caught up in them either,” Borthwick told the club’s website after their success against Clermont.

“We have only ever talked about the next game, as cliché as it may be, that is always our focus. It has to be, we are still a side early on in our journey and have a lot of work to come, together.

“I am not sure anybody would have had Leicester Tigers as quarter-finalists in the [Heineken] Champions Cup at the start of the season, which is down to the players for their work and their effort.”

Leicester were European champions in 2001 and 2002, and reached the final in 1997, 2007 and 2009, but haven’t featured in the knockout stage of the continent’s elite club competition since 2016.

Borthwick is delighted to have helped Tigers reach the latter stages of this season’s Heineken Champions Cup, with the Gallagher Premiership side winning all six of their games so far.

“It is very pleasing, especially for our supporters who for a long time have not experienced knockout rugby at this level,” he said.

“I thought there were some things [against Clermont] that we did very well and some others that needed to be better, which I was pleased to see the players pick up on and make adjustments out on the pitch.”

“We were challenged at different times and the response from the players on the pitch was one that helped us get into a position to win the game and, ultimately, progress to the next stage of this tournament.”

Leicester Tigers have outperformed expectations by reaching the quarter-finals of the Heineken Champions Cup, according to head coach Steve Borthwick.