TIGERS NAME 12 INTERNATIONALS IN SIDE TO PLAY EMIRATES WESTERN FORCE
Friday, 29 August 2008 5:40pm
Leicester Tigers Official Website
Leicester Tigers will include 12 senior internationals in the starting XV to face Australian visitors the Emirates Western Force at Welford Road on Saturday (10pm WST kick off).
After previous trips to Biarritz and the Ospreys under new head coach Heyneke Meyer, Saturday sees Tigers come home for their final run-out before the Guinness Premiership season starts away to Gloucester on Sunday, September 7.
An all-international backline includes a first appearance at Welford Road in a Tigers shirt for fly-half Toby Flood, while Geordan Murphy is at full-back, Alesana Tuilagi and Tom Varndell on the wings, Aaron Mauger is joined at centre by Dan Hipkiss, and Harry Ellis is at scrum-half.
In the forwards, George Chuter makes his first start of the pre-season programme, with Marco Wentzel joining Richard Blaze in the second row.
Emirates Western Force coach John Mitchell is looking to end a tour of England on a high note in their fourth game against Guinness Premiership opposition.
The Western Force pack features skipper David Pocock and highly-rated loosehead prop Pek Cowan, while Filipe Manu is recalled at No8. In the backline, talented teenager James O’Connor switches to full-back as Scott Daruda returns to the No10 shirt and dynamic Junior Pelesasa and Josh Tatupu are reinstated in the midfield.
Leicester Tigers - 15 Geordan Murphy 14 Alesana Tuilagi 13 Dan Hipkiss 12 Aaron Mauger 11 Tom Varndell 10 Toby Flood 9 Harry Ellis 1 Marcos Ayerza 2 George Chuter 3 Julian White 4 Richard Blaze 5 Marco Wentzel 6 Tom Croft 7 Ben Herring 8 Jordan Crane Replacements (from): Benjamin Kayser, Dan Cole, Boris Stankovich, Martin Corry, Ben Kay, Ben Woods, Julien Dupuy, Sam Vesty, Tom Youngs, Matt Smith, Will Hurrell, Johne Murphy.
