Leicester Tigers v London Irish Digital Matchday Programme (05-03-2021) by Leicester Tigers

LEICESTER TIGERs

VERSUS

LONDON IRISH

G A L L AG H E R P R E M I E R S H I P F R I DAY, M A R C H 5, 2 0 2 1 K I C K- O F F 7.4 5 P M

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

THE TEAMS

LEICESTER TIGERS

LONDON IRISH

S TA R T I N G X V -

FREDDIE STEWARD

T P C D

TOM PARTON

KOBUS VAN WYK

T P C D

BEN LOADER

ARG

MATÍAS MORONI

T P C D

CURTIS RONA

AUS

SCO

MATT SCOTT

T P C D

TERRENCE HEPETEMA

GUY PORTER

T P C D

OLLIE HASSELL-COLLINS

ZACK HENRY

T P C D

PADDY JACKSON

IRL AUS

RICHARD WIGGLESWORTH

T P C D

NICK PHIPPS

LUAN DE BRUIN

T P C D

WILL GOODRICK-CLARKE

ENG / LIONS

TOM YOUNGS (C)

T P C D

AGUSTIN CREEVY

ENG / LIONS

DAN COLE

T P C D

LOVEJOY CHAWATAMA

CALUM GREEN

T P C D

STEVE MAFI

TON AUS

ENG -

TOMÁS LAVANINI

T P C D

ROB SIMMONS

HARRY WELLS

T P C D

MATT ROGERSON (C)

ARG

ARG -

TOMMY REFFELL

T P C D

BLAIR COWAN

SCO

CYLE BRINK

T P C D

ALBERT TUISUE

FIJI

CHARLIE CLARE

T P C D

R E P L AC E M E N T S 16

T P C D

MATT CORNISH

SCO / LIONS

NEPHI LEATIGAGA

T P C D

ALLAN DELL

JOE HEYES

T P C D

OLLIE HOSKINS

OLLIE CHESSUM

T P C D

CHUNYA MUNGA

LUKE WALLACE

T P C D

GEORGE NOTT

JACK VAN POORTVLIET

T P C D

BEN DONNELL

JOHNNY McPHILLIPS

T P C D

BEN MEEHAN

FIJI

KINI MURIMURIVALU

T P C D

WILL JOSEPH

SAM

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH CONTENTS 3 TEAMS 7 WELCOME FROM THE CHAIRMAN 9 FROM THE TOUCHLINE 12 CLUB NEWS 16 TIGERS TALK WITH CALUM GREEN 23 MEET THE OPPOSITION 28 MATCH PREVIEWS 32 FULL FIXTURE LIST 34 PLAYING STATS 38 TIGERS MATCHFILES 44 FROM THE BOARDROOM 48 THE PLAYING SQUAD 56 TIGERS FOUNDATION 60 COMMUNITY TEAM 62 JUNIOR TIGERS CLUB 65 MATT HAMPSON FOUNDATION 66 ON THIS DAY 69 STATS PACK 73 TIGERS FANZONE

LEICESTER FOOTBALL CLUB PLC Telephone 0116 319 8888 www.leicestertigers.com Facebook.com/LeicesterTigers Twitter @LeicesterTigers instagram.com/leicestertigers Executive Chairman: Peter Tom CBE Chief Executive: Andrea Pinchen Head Coach: Steve Borthwick Directors: Petar Cvetkovic,

Duncan Green, Ben Kay MBE, Fintan Kennedy, Tom Scott Company Secretary: Mary Ford Life Members: Garry Adey, John Allen, Bob Beason, Paul Dodge, Matt Hampson OBE, Dusty Hare MBE, Roy Jackson, Martin Johnson CBE, Ian Smith, Peter Wheeler Club Statistician/Historian: Stuart Farmer Child Protection Officer: Matt Johnson

ROLL OF HONOUR European Champions: 2000-01, 2001-02 English Champions: 1987-88, 1994-95, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2012-13 Zurich Championship Winners: 2000-01 Cup Winners: 1978-79, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1992-93, 1996-97

Anglo-Welsh Cup Winners: 2006-07, 2011-12, 2016-17 Premiership ‘A’ League Winners: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2010-11 Premiership U21 League Winners: 2002-03 Premiership Academy U18 League Winners: 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 (joint)

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07/12/2020 17:12

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

Peter Tom CBE

CHAIRMAN Welcome to Round 12 of the Gallagher Premiership season and our home fixture against London Irish at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. You will have seen this week that the club released its annual Report and Accounts for the year up to July 2020 and also a statement on the financial future following increased investment, a new agreement with our bank and Government assistance, combined with the loyalty of supporters and our sponsors. I am both proud and humbled by the levels of support we have had from all of those areas since we first had to come to terms with the likely longerterm impact of Covid. This week marks a full year since we last had our supporters inside Mattioli Woods Welford Road on matchday and that means, of course, a huge reduction in our revenues. It is also a huge disappointment to all of you and to us that we cannot all play our part in matchdays, especially with so many new faces in the squad still to experience a sold-out home crowd at Mattioli Woods Welford Road and the foundations for the future now visible in the improvement of the team on and off the pitch. Steve and all of the players are desperate to see you back in your places here and we all look forward to that special day. In the meantime, your support continues to play a big part in what we do and I thank you all for your patience and co-operation, as well as your loyalty. There has been great support for our plans to move all season ticket money into next season and we are also grateful to all of those who chose to donate this season’s payments directly to the club. The support has not just been important in financial terms, but in many other ways as we navigate our way through challenging times. Government assistance was forthcoming based mainly on the strength of the club’s work in the community and we were also grateful to everyone who contacted their local MP to emphasise how

important the Tigers is as a power for good not just on matchdays at the stadium but in reaching out to schools, clubs and individuals all over our region. The support of politicians both locally and nationally ensured that our club and our game were part of Government thinking on emergency funding and, with it, we look forward to continuing as a major part of the city, the county, the region and the game of rugby.

It's been 12 months since supporters were in attendance on a matchday

On the field, the team continues to take steps forward and there is no doubting the appetite for hard work and sustained effort, as we saw in the performance at Bristol last week. Of course, we want to win every game, but that level of commitment is one of the building blocks that Steve has spoken about as he takes the squad on their journey back to where we want to be. We are all a part of that and your support makes a massive contribution as always. A special thank-you from everyone at the Tigers.

MUM x u o y k n a th

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

Head coach Steve Borthwick

FROM THE TOUCHLINE “We want to be a highperforming team, competing at the top of the Premiership, and have a great academy developing players, and having community coaches out working with groups. We have a fantastic support and great backing of our shareholders. I think about us as one club and very much in this together. I am privileged to have had great guidance and I’m grateful we have those people and that support, that loyal Leicester Tigers following, to help us to rebuild this team to where it needs to be.”

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

CLUB NEWS SUPPORT TAKES TIGERS FORWARD Leicester Tigers have secured the club’s financial future beyond Covid-19 thanks to a combination of increased investment, bank support, Government assistance and the loyalty of the club’s extensive fanbase. As the best-supported club in Premiership Rugby, Tigers have been hit hard by the loss of income from matchday sales during this period, with no supporters admitted to a home game since February 2020 and a local community which has also had to cope with lockdown restrictions over a similar period. Tough decisions have had to be taken which have affected players and staff but, in working through these, the club is now better placed to execute and achieve its strategic plan.

support the club has received and the commitment of our season ticket holders and sponsors, we have guaranteed the primary objective of ensuring this historic club is still here for the future. “This allows us to work on firm financial planning for the future and our ambitions for the club on and off the pitch.” The plc’s Annual Report and Accounts published this week shows how important that support is after a £5.2million drop in income in the period up to July 2020.

This has been possible thanks to support in four main areas: • Loyalty and commitment of sponsors and supporters • New agreement with HSBC Bank • Increased investment from major shareholders Tom Scott and Peter Tom CBE • Receipt of emergency sport funding from the Government via Sport England The increased investment, agreement with the bank and Government support totals more than £10million as Tigers address the impact of more than 12 months without matchday and stadium income. Club chairman Peter Tom CBE said: “When we first assessed the impact of Covid-19, I had two main objectives to pursue with the Board. The first was the survival of this great club and the second was to come through to improve the future of the club on and off the pitch. “We went through a very rigorous process to secure Government funding, which was largely based on the importance of the Tigers in our own community and the club’s work within it. “That loan will have to be paid back over the long term and, while it does not fully replace the revenues lost, when it is added to the other financial

A full year without crowds

Tom added: “It has been heartening to see new sponsors and renewed agreements with other partners during this period. We are delighted to welcome Topps Tiles on board as main partners and to agree new terms with Mattioli Woods who have increased their support and taken naming rights to the stadium. I think that speaks volumes for the club and its place in our community. “Also, when we needed their help most, it was humbling to see the incredible backing of our season ticket holders. “We remain hugely grateful for that support and now, with the pathway towards an easing of some of the restrictions, we look forward to welcoming everyone back safely whenever it is possible.”

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

Calum Green T IGE R S TA L K

THE QUIE T MAN An academy graduate who shared in one of the club’s greatest days just out of his teens, Calum Green returned as a senior player and has become a key cog in the forward pack...

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

T IGE R S TA L K Calum Green will not mind in the slightest, but a personal landmark slipped somewhat under the radar recently for the quiet man of the Leicester Tigers forward pack. Amid the commemorations of a 200th appearance for Tom Youngs and a 250th for Dan Cole recently, another grafter reached his own milestone and, typically, without much fanfare. Calum’s 50th senior appearance for Tigers was in the impressive win over Wasps in the team’s last home outing and came as a fitting reward for the Norwich-born second-rower who has fitted seamlessly into his second spell at the club.

It’s almost like he’s never been away, such is Green’s everpresent unfussy approach to life and the game. He made the first of those appearances as a teenager in the one-off fixture with the Classic All Blacks - on the same day as Manu Tuilagi - during May 2008 and a first Premiership appearance in a home win against Saracens the following March. It has been a long march, but that does not detract from the achievement or his role in the squad at each end of the experience scale. Green’s first stint, after coming through the academy and captaining the age-group teams,

accounts for just short of half of his Tigers total so far. But he has wasted no time in moving to 50 since his return. Only Harry Wells and Tom Youngs, each with 19 starts and similar in their no-nonsense approach to their work, made more than the 18 managed by Green last season and only two players have more than his eight so far in 2020-21. “It’s taken me a long while to get to 50, but this is a club that

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

T IGE R S TA L K

I love, and one that means a lot to me,” Green acknowledged at the final whistle in the victory over Wasps, adding typically: “Yes, it means a lot to get to 50 games, but to get the win is even better.” Going back in time, Calum had made just three first-team appearances for Tigers before one of the most famous nights in the club’s long and rich history, when he started at lock for the win over South Africa in 2010, just past his 20th birthday.

He packed down on the evening next to Geoff Parling who went on to become an international star with England and the Lions. If you re-watch it now you’ll see the youngster still in the thick of the action as Tigers defend for their lives 10 metres from their own line against the world champions with the clock ticking up to 80 minutes. But Calum moved on 18 months later in search of more game-time, playing on loan with

Nottingham and then making the switch to Leeds Carnegie and then Newcastle Falcons. In the summer of 2019, he returned as a senior player and one still with Tigers at heart. The stats backed up his place among Premiership Rugby’s leading forward operators and had led to a number of writers in the media pushing him for higher recognition. When he returned, he acknowledged Tigers had

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

T IGE R S TA L K

changed, though confirming his own standards and his approach to the game had not. “I’ve got a lot of the same standards that were hammered into me from the academy side and when I first moved into the first-team,” he said as he launched into his first pre-season back at Oval Park during 2019. “I have tried to keep that through my whole career and I’ve added experience and from that I understand the game a lot better.” The second stint at Mattioli Woods Welford Road has already featured the honour of captaincy and his first try for Tigers, coming from a lineout move against Exeter Chiefs just before Christmas in his 44th appearance for the club. The link with Leicester stretches right back, Green adding: “I started to get involved with Tigers when I was 12 or 13 and that shapes you a lot. “Coming over here at 17, I spent five years here and

they’re years when you learn a lot about yourself and grow up, and you keep that. “In Norfolk, there is no professional rugby team so the whole aim is to play for Leicester Tigers. When you have people like Tom and Ben Youngs, the aim is to get here. It is just nice to have people from home at the club, people like Charlie Clare who I played with at the academy as well. “I’m more mature now, or I hope I am, now that I’ve been away. This has always been my club. It was not that I didn’t enjoy playing for other clubs, but when you grow up with the academy here it stays with you.” The street-wise, experienced Green was seen as a link with Tigers of old, having come through the ranks to follow the likes of Louis Deacon, and watched World Cup-winning lock Ben Kay at work. “I think maybe the club had got away a little bit from what it was about and maybe that’s why

they wanted a couple of boys to come back who had been here before,” he said. “I spent a lot of time here and when you go away and come back it seems like you’re going back in time in some ways. Some of the coaches are ex-players I played with. “I always supported the club and when I left it wasn’t a sour thing, I wasn’t anti-Leicester or anything so when the opportunity came to come back it was a no-brainer for me. “From a knowledge and experience point of view, I’m probably as good as I’ve ever been. Playing in the Premiership, you have to learn the little things. “There are no easy games any more, it’s pretty relentless which is where your squad is important and there are good young second-rows about. Physically, maybe they’re better because their bodies haven’t been through it all, but those little things can keep you ahead.”

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

T O D AY ’ S O P P O S I T I O N

LONDON IRISH

F O R M AT I O N O F T H E E X IL E S

1878

1885

LONDON SCOTTISH

LONDON WELSH

1898

LONDON IRISH

1923 F IRS T MEE T ING W I T H L EICE S T ER 10-9 T IGERS v IRISH, PREMIERSHIP F IN A L 2010

TOP POINTS SCORER

PADDY JACKSON

– 2020-21 –

77%

KICKING SUCCESS

PADDY JACKSON

TOP TRY SCORER

CURTIS RONA

P R E MIE R SHIP FA S T E S T T R Y 2020-2 1 26 SECONDS BL A IR COWA N CAPACIT Y OF BRENTFORD C O MM U NI T Y S TA D I U M

17,250

301

RECORD APPEARANCES TOPSY OJO

RECORD TRY SCORER TOPSY OJO

6HR 39MIN 31SEC TIME SET BY CLUB MASCOT D I G G E R T O C O M P L E T E T H E L O N D O N M A R AT H O N

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

SQUAD 2020-21 – BACKS – Pos / Honours / Age / Last Club ONE TO WATCH

JACOB ATKINS FH

Academy

RORY BRAND SH

NICK PHIPPS SH

Australia

Waratahs

THEO BROPHY CLEWS FH

OLLIE HASSELL-COLLINS W

Academy

Bay of Plenty

Perpignan

England 7s

Academy

Melbourne Rising

Highlanders

Wasps

Academy

Waratahs

Coventry

Academy

TERRENCE HEPETEMA C

PADDY JACKSON FH

Ireland

CHARLTON KERR FB

BEN LOADER W

BEN MEEHAN SH

WAISAKE NAHOLO W

New Zealand

ROSS NEAL C

TOM PARTON FH

CURTIS RONA C

Australia

JAMES STOKES FB

MATT WILLIAMS C

After more than 100 Super Rugby appearances with Melbourne Rebels and the Waratahs, the Australia international moved to London Irish two years ago. His grandfather and great-uncle were both capped by the Wallabies, and Nick has more than 60 Test appearances as well as playing Sevens at the Commonwealth Games. He was in the Australia squad for the game against Tigers here in 2010.

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

– F OR WA RDS – Pos / Honours / Age / Last Club ONE TO WATCH

BEN ATKINS H

Academy

LOVEJOY CHAWATAMA P

ROB SIMMONS L

London Welsh

Melbourne Rebels

Academy

Ealing

Worcester

Jaguares

Academy

Edinburgh

Loughborough Students

Australia

Waratahs

ADAM COLEMAN L

Australia

JACK COOKE BR

MATT CORNISH H

BLAIR COWAN BR

Scotland & Lions

AGUSTIN CREEVY H

Argentina

ISAAC CURTIS-HARRIS BR

ALLAN DELL P

Scotland

HARRY ELRINGTON P

WILL GOODRICK-CLARKE P

Richmond

Western Force

Waratahs

OLLIE HOSKINS P

SEKOPE KEPU P

Australia

STEVE MAFI BR

Tonga

30 Castres

MOTU MATU’U H

Samoa

Gloucester

GEORGE NOTT L

MATT ROGERSON 24

Sale

SEÁN O’BRIEN BR

Ireland & Lions

There are few players in the world game with experience to match second-rower Rob Simmons. After coming through age-group representative rugby, he made his Test debut in 2010 and has now topped a century of caps. He had a decade with Queensland Reds, then a spell with the Waratahs before moving to Irish this season.

Jersey

Fijian Drua

ALBERT TUISUE 33

Leinster

Fiji

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

EUROPEAN DRAW Tigers will be guaranteed a home tie in Tuesday’s draw for the start of the knockout stages in the European Challenge Cup. Alongside London Irish and Ospreys, Tigers will be at home as reward for victory in both of the preliminary stage matches before the tournament was suspended. Following discussions with leagues and unions, organisers EPCR have revealed that the European tournaments will resume with the ‘Round of 16’ on the weekend of April 2/3/4 and will be followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and the Marseille finals on allocated weekends in April and May. The eight highest-ranked clubs from the preliminary stage of the Challenge Cup, and eight clubs which have not qualified for the knockout stages of Heineken Champions Cup, will compete in the Round of 16. Clubs from the same league cannot be drawn together. The draw is streamed live on epcrugby.com, with full coverage on the Tigers website and social media. Round of 16 qualifiers: London Irish, Ospreys, Leicester Tigers, Cardiff Blues, Zebre Rugby Club, Agen, Benetton Rugby, Newcastle Falcons, Ulster, Connacht, Northampton Saints, Bath, Montpellier, Dragons, Harlequins, Glasgow Warriors.

RUGBY APPOINTMENT Leigh Jones has been appointed in the newly-created role of General Manager of Rugby and will start work at Tigers on May 1. Currently general manager of rugby performance with the Hong Kong Rugby Union, Leigh has previously held senior roles with Ebbw Vale, the Dragons and the Welsh Rugby Union, and was part of the Japan support team at the 2015 Rugby World Cup with Steve Borthwick and Eddie Jones. The new role is responsible for the off-field performance of Tigers, including overseeing the Oval Park facility and driving cultural and performance standards at all levels of the rugby programme.

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY The 20th anniversary dinner marking the Tigers’ first European title has been rescheduled for Friday, June 25 following the government’s four-step Covid-19 announcement. The move ensures that guests will be able to attend the event with restrictions scheduled to be lifted by June 21. The event is hosted in partnership with Switch the Play Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting all sportspeople to successfully transition into life outside of sport. Tickets are available now. See the Tigers website for details.

TOPPS TILES TRY-UMPH The shortlist for the Topps Tiles Try-umph of the Month features first tries for the club from all three nominations. Voting is open on the club website and the winner will be revealed by LTTV next week. Each month, every voter will also be included in our special prize draw to win a Tigers shirt signed by the winning player. The shortlisted Try-umphs for February are: Julián Montoya (v Worcester) A debut try for the Pumas hooker as he finishes off a now-trademark rolling maul. Jack Van Poortvliet (v Harlequins) JVP scores right out of the Ben Youngs playbook for his first senior try. George Martin (v Harlequins) The young forward gets his rewards for charging down a kick and running in for his first Tigers try. VOTE NOW https://www. leicestertigers.com/topp-tryumph-of-the-month Voting is open until 11.59pm on Monday, February 8. Planning a tiling project or renovation? Visit www.toppstiles. co.uk for the latest trends, tiling advice new products and, for more inspiration, follow @toppstiles on Instagram.

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

THE BIG MATCH

Tigers welcome London Irish in more Gallagher Premiership action... Tigers kick off the second half of the Gallagher Premiership season today against one of the form sides in the division with visitors London Irish beaten just once in any competition since early December, and that at the hands of defending champions at Exeter Chiefs. The Exiles sit in seventh place in the league table after a 16-10 win away to Wasps last weekend and are chasing successive wins on their travels for the first time in 12 months. The last four matches between the two clubs have all been won by the home side on the day, including earlier this season when Tigers were the opening visitors to the Exiles’ new home in Brentford, while Irish’s only victory at Mattioli Woods Welford Road since 2003 was in September 2014. Tigers’ last four matches in the Gallagher Premiership have all gone with the home team. Tigers and Irish have each had two games cancelled this season, with both missing a fixture against Northampton as a result of Covid-19. Overall the two teams have met on 67 previous occasions dating back nearly 100 years, with Leicester winning 55 to 11 by the Exiles and one game drawn. Wayne Barnes, the top flight’s most experienced match official, is in charge this afternoon, for the 235th time in Premiership rugby.

FROM BOTH SIDES Epsom-born wing Adam Thompstone joined the London Irish academy in 2007 after leaving Harlequins and went on to score 17 tries in 52 first-team appearances, including nine in his breakthrough season in 2008-09. He moved to Tigers in 2012 and scored a hat-trick of tries in his first start, becoming the first player to do so in a league game. He totalled 163 appearances in eight seasons, scoring 38 tries, for the club.

LAST FIVE PREMIERSHIP MEETINGS 2020/21

2019-20

2017-18

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

ELSEWHERE IN ROUND 12

SALE SHARKS vs NEWCASTLE FALCONS

BATH RUGBY vs EXETER CHIEFS

WASPS vs GLOUCESTER RUGBY

WORCESTER WARRIORS HARLEQUINS vs vs BRISTOL BEARS NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

Sale Sharks bounced back from successive defeats to record a 25-20 victory over Exeter Chiefs last Friday. Since rugby restarted in August, they have lost four times at home in the Gallagher Premiership.

Bath have won their last three Gallagher Premiership matches, their best run since September.

Wasps have won just once in the last five rounds - against Worcester on February 14. They have lost their last three matches at the Ricoh Arena and have not lost four in succession at home in Premiership Rugby since 2013.

Worcester’s last league win this season (excluding declared wins) was in the opening round at home to London Irish. They have at least picked up three losing bonus points in the last six rounds.

Harlequins’ winning run ended at four games with a 22-25 defeat at Newcastle last Saturday. They are unbeaten in their last three matches at the Twickenham Stoop since losing to Bristol on Boxing Day.

Top-of-the-table Bristol Bears have lost just once in the Gallagher Premiership since the opening weekend. They drew their most recent away game, at London Irish, and have not lost away from home in Premiership Rugby since November.

Northampton also won four in a row before defeat at home to Bath on Sunday. They have won their last three away games and have not won four in succession on the road in the competition since 2014.

Newcastle’s 25-22 victory over Harlequins on Saturday was their first win in any competition since beating Gloucester at Kingston Park on January 9. Their most recent victory away from home in Premiership Rugby was at Wasps in Round 3.

Exeter Chiefs have lost their last two fixtures, at home to Northampton and away at Sale, although they did gain a losing bonus point in each match.

Gloucester’s eight-game losing run ended with a 22-14 victory over Worcester last Saturday. They have won only once away from home since October 2019 - also a victory over Worcester last August.

The Chiefs have won four of their last six away games in Premiership Rugby. Exeter’s only defeat in their last nine Premiership meetings with Bath was 10-13 at The Rec in October 2019.

Gloucester’s only defeat to Wasps in Premiership Rugby since 2017 was on their most recent trip to Coventry a year ago.

Falcons have lost just once in their last five league meetings with Sale. GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Bristol won 36-13 on their most recent trip to Sixways and have never won successive fixtures at the venue.

Quins have won the last two meetings and have not achieved a Premiership double over Saints since 2012-13.

Pld

Pts

Bristol Bears

274

173

Exeter Chiefs

242

160

Harlequins

292

233

Sale Sharks

235

208

Northampton Saints

186

187

Newcastle Falcons

156

149

29 29

London Irish

188

186

Wasps

245

286

Leicester Tigers

206

214

Bath Rugby

207

298

Worcester Warriors

132

223

Gloucester Rugby

233

279

Proud to support Leicester Tigers

360°

D Pos

FORD

ENEVER

DIAZ BONILLA

DE BRUIN

DEFENCE

Result

COLE

COGHLAN

ATTACK Att

CLARE

Opponents

CHESSUM

BRINK

Date Comp

BOWER

SEASON STATS 2020-21

ASPLAND-ROBINSON

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

NOVEMBER 2020 Sat 21

GPR

Gloucester Rugby

22-08

● 38-15

Sun 29

GPR

London Irish (Sun 4.15)

03-13

● 09-22

5 6

DECEMBER 2020 Sat 5

GPR

Exeter Chiefs

08-22

● 13-35

Fri 11

ECC

Brive (Fri 7:45)

14-06

● 39-17

Sat 19

ECC

Bayonne (8pm)

17-13

● 28-20

Sat 26

GPR

Newcastle Falcons (2pm)

C-C

JANUARY 2021 Sun 3

GPR

Bath Rugby (Sun 3pm)

14-06

● 36-31

Sat 9

GPR

Northampton Saints (4.30pm)

C-C

Fri 15

ECC

Bayonne (7:45pm)

C-C

W/O 22

ECC

Brive

C-C

Fri 29

GPR

Sale Sharks (7:45pm)

08-10

● 15-25

FEBRUARY 2021 Sat 6

GPR

Worcester Warriors

13-03

● 36-31

Sat 13

GPR

Harlequins (4.00pm)

17-30

● 24-37

Sat 20

GPR

Wasps

14-03

● 27-08

Sat 27

GPR

Bristol Bears

03-14

● 03-17

MARCH 2021 Fri 5

GPR

London Irish (7:45pm)

Sat 13

GPR

Gloucester Rugby

Sat 20

GPR

Exeter Chiefs

Sun 28

GPR

Newcastle Falcons

APRIL 2021 W/O 2

ECC

W/O 9

ECC

Round of 16

W/O 16

GPR

Bath Rugby

W/O 23

GPR

Northampton Saints

W/O 30

ECC

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

May 2021 W/O 7

GPR

Sale Sharks

W/O 14

GPR

Harlequins

Fri 21

ECC

W/O 28

GPR

Worcester Warriors

Final at Marseille

JUNE 2021 W/O 4

GPR

Bristol Bears

W/O 12

GPR

Wasps

W/O 18

GPR

Semi-finals

Sat 26

GPR

Final at Twickenham GPR ECC PRC

Gallagher Premiership Rugby European Challenge Cup Premiership Rugby Cup

TOTAL

25 20 26 0 24 20 22 0

1 5

Started match 16 5

Used as a replacement 5

Bench (not used)

5 10

Points scored in a match

3 5 5

5 5 5

PENALTY TRY

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

T.YOUNGS

B.YOUNGS

WORTH

WILLIAMS

WIGGLESWORTH

WIESE

WHITE

WHITCOMBE

WELLS

WALLACE

VAN WYK

VAN POORTVLIET

TAUTE

TAUFUA

STEWARD

SMITH

SIMMONS

SCOTT

REFFELL

POTTER

PORTER

OLOWOFELA

NADOLO

MURIMURIVALU

MORONI

MONTOYA

MARTIN

MAMUKASHVILI

McPHILLIPS

LIEBENBERG

LEWIS

LEATIGAGA

LAVANINI

KERR

KELLY

HEYES

HENRY

HENDERSON

HARDWICK

GREEN

GIGENA

GENGE

FORD

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

PLAYER STATS 2020-21

NAME Sam ASPLAND-ROBINSON Ryan BOWER Cyle BRINK Ollie CHESSUM Charlie CLARE Jordan COGHLAN Dan COLE Luan DE BRUIN Joaquín Díaz BONILLA Blake ENEVER George FORD Ellis GENGE Facundo GIGENA Calum GREEN Tom HARDWICK Cameron HENDERSON Zack HENRY Joe HEYES Dan KELLY Jake KERR Tomás LAVANINI Henri LAVIN Jonny LAW Nephi LEATIGAGA Sam LEWIS Hanro LIEBENBERG Shalva MAMUKASHVILI Johnny McPHILLIPS

APPS 1+2 5+4 2 1+6 7+3 4+1 2+3 0+1 1+1 1+1 1 8+2 2+1 8 4+7 2+3 0+1 6+1 4+6 9 0+5

STATS 2020-21 TRIES 2 1 1 1 1 -

PTS 10 5 23 31 5 5 71 5 2

APPS 8+6 4+9 5+4 5 5+15 7+4 193+59 4+1 2+3 4+2 82+16 59+20 16+29 40+11 16+16 4+4 13+3 23+35 4+4 15+30 23+3 0+1 0+2 8+31 10+11 22+2 0+1 2+10

TIGERS TOTAL TRIES 2 2 1 3 8 7 1 1 3 1 2 1 2 1 1

PTS 10 10 5 15 23 931 35 5 5 121 15 108 5 10 5 10 5 22

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

NAME George MARTIN Julián MONTOYA Matias MORONI KINI MURIMURIVALU Nemani NADOLO Jordan OLOWOFELA Guy PORTER Harry POTTER Tommy REFFELL Matt SCOTT Harry SIMMONS Thom SMITH Freddie STEWARD Jordan TAUFUA Jaco TAUTE Jack VAN POORTVLIET Kobus VAN WYK Luke WALLACE Harry WELLS James WHITCOMBE Ben WHITE Jasper WIESE Richard WIGGLESWORTH David WILLIAMS George WORTH Ben YOUNGS Tom YOUNGS

APPS 2+2 3+1 5 5+2 4 4+2 2 4+4 8 2+1 9 2+2 6 2+5 7 0+3 7+4 0+2 2+5 8 6 1+1 7+3

STATS 2020-21 TRIES 1 3 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 3

PTS 5 15 5 10 15 5 5 5 5 15 5 5 15

APPS 4+3 3+1 5 8+2 9 30+11 8+3 7+1 21+15 14 10+15 5+5 17+4 11+7 16+2 5+7 8 5+6 57+53 0+2 27+42 8 6 3+1 41+21 203+51 161+43

TIGERS TOTAL TRIES 1 3 1 4 6 2 6 1 2 3 3 1 1 1 4 6 3 1 1 3 38 20

PTS 5 15 5 20 30 10 30 5 10 18 15 5 5 5 20 30 15 5 5 25 210 105

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O P E N D AY S d m u . a c . u k /o p e n d a y s

S AT 13 FE B

S AT 13 MAR

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

– MATCHFILE – BRISTOL 17-3 LEICESTER TIGERS Saturday February 27 2021 / Gallagher Premiership Round 11 Attendance: Closed doors / Referee: Mr Christophe Ridley LEICESTER TIGERS 15 Kini Murimurivalu 14 Kobus van Wyk 13 Matiás Moroni 12 Dan Kelly 11 Guy Porter 10 Joaquin Diaz Bonilla 9 Jack Van Poortvliet

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Nephi Leatigaga Tom Youngs (c) Joe Heyes Cameron Henderson Tomás Lavanini Harry Wells Tommy Reffell Ollie Chessum

Tigers were beaten by top-ofthe-table Bristol Bears as the season reached its halfway mark at Ashton Gate last weekend. The clock had almost reached the half-hour mark before there was a breakthrough on the scoreboard, as fly-half Joaquin Diaz Bonilla landed a 40-metre penalty. But Bristol responded with tries from Will Capon and Piers O’Conor during a costly spell when Tigers were a man down, with Matías Moroni sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on in defence just before half-time. The first try came at a driving maul from set-piece ball, but the second owed to an element of fortune as the defence shut out John Afoa short of the line, only for the ball to come off a Tigers player before running in-goal. This presented Bears with a fivemetre scrum and a chance for Luke Morahan to put O’Conor in to score. There was a fire in the response from Tigers in the second half, with Moroni forceful in backline defence, Kobus van Wyk searching for a break and the forwards pushing their rivals back, but they could not finish the opportunity that would

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Charlie Clare James Whitcombe Dan Cole Calum Green Luke Wallace Ben White Johnny McPhillips Harry Simmons

BRISTOL: Piutau, Morahan, O’Conor, Letua, Naulago, Lloyd, Uren; Woolmore, Capon, Afoa, Vui, Joyce, Luatua (c), Thomas, Hennan. Reps: Kloska, Thomas, Armstrong, Holmes, Harding, Kessell, Eden, Adeolokun

provide some reward for the display, with one final drive held up over the line in the closing moments of the game.

win in Bayonne… Wiese and Liebenberg suspended… Four players with England, including uncapped George Martin.

NOTEBOOK… Premiership debut for James Whitcombe and first Premiership start of the season for Ollie Chessum, Cameron Henderson, Dan Kelly and Joaquin Diaz Bonilla… Return of Guy Porter for the first time since the

QUOTE... “We’ll look at why we didn’t finish the opportunities we had, but the outand-out effort to stay in the fight the whole time was excellent” Tom Youngs

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

– LAST TIME OUT – LEICESTER TIGERS 27-8 WASPS Saturday February 20 2021 / Gallagher Premiership Round 10 Attendance: Closed doors / Referee: Mr Craig Maxwell-Keys LEICESTER TIGERS 15 Freddie Steward 14 Kobus van Wyk 13 Matiás Moroni 12 Matt Scott 11 Kini Murimurivalu 10 Zack Henry 4P 9 Richard Wigglesworth (c)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Luan de Bruin Julián Montoya Dan Cole Calum Green Tomás Lavanini Hanro Liebenberg Cyle Brink Jasper Wiese

Tigers scored three tries during victory over Wasps in a game which also featured three red cards. Jasper Wiese made the early breakthrough as Tigers dominated territory before the back-rower provided a clinical finish from a close-range lineout. Then, though, he became the first player dismissed, after contact with the head of a defender in the build-up to Cyle Brink dotting down after 27 minutes. Not only was the try disallowed but, after the referee had consulted replays, Wiese was shown the red card. Zack Henry, however, kept the scoreboard moving with three penalties to give 14-man Tigers a 14-3 lead at the break and Julian Montoya then added his third try of the season to stretch the lead after Kieran Brookes had been sent off for another high contact. Wasps got their breakthrough when Tom Cruse scored at full stretch from a set-piece in the right-hand corner, and Henry kicked another penalty to keep daylight between the teams before Tommy Reffell finished more strong work in the forward pack for the third try.

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Tom Youngs Nephi Leatigaga Joe Heyes Harry Wells Tommy Reffell Jack van Poortvliet Johnny McPhillips Dan Kelly

Liebenberg was dismissed after colliding with Josh Bassett as the game restarted but there were no further breaches of the defensive line as Tigers took derby honours. NOTEBOOK… Calum Green’s 50th appearance for Tigers… Three red cards… Tigers moved level on points with a Wasps team who lost for just the second time away from

WASPS: Minozzi, Kibirige, Fekitoa, Gopperth, Bassett, Atkinson, Vellacott; West, Taylor, Brookes, Rowlands, Gaskell, Shields (c), Morris, T Willis. Reps: Cruse, Harris, Toomaga-Allen, Douglas, Vailanu, Schwarz, Umaga, Le Bourgeois

home in 12 months… George Martin absent after being called into the England squad alongside George Ford, Ellis Genge and Ben Youngs. QUOTE... “The first red card really galvanised us. At half-time there was a brilliant feeling, you could tell everyone was right up for the battle” Richard Wigglesworth

£52

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

Andrea Pinchen

FROM THE BOARDROOM Chief executive Andrea Pinchen reveals how the club is able to plan ahead in difficult circumstances. As the best-supported club in Premiership Rugby, we were always going to take a big hit in income terms when the gates were closed due to Covid this time last year. That hit was not just in terms of ticket sales but also in everything that goes around matchdays at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, in bars and food kiosks, hospitality packages, group bookings and all of the activity around half-time events. At the same time as taking the retail operation back in house, we found the shop at the stadium would have to remain closed, not just on matchdays to preserve the ‘bubble’ around the teams, but also every other day in line with government guidelines on non-essential retail. Combined with the pause on our community activities and the closure of staff offices to protect everyone involved in the Tigers, that is a challenging situation. But everyone has worked tremendously hard to find a way forward from there, not only to plug the holes but also to have greater positivity for the future when we all finally come out the other side. It has been tough and the financial impact has been enormous. The figures released this week include a £5.2million drop in revenues and that is only up to the year ending July 2020, as we continue to play and

finance the business without those matchday incomes. From a commercial point of view, the club continues to build and develop links with its partners, some of whom have only come on board since the start of the Covid period but

with Mattioli Woods taking stadium naming rights on top of their existing commitment. The Tigers will always play a big part in its community and it is extremely rewarding to see our sponsors and partners on board to assist with that.

All matchday activity had to go on hold

are just as committed to those relationships going forward. It has been great to see so many ‘local national’ brands on board too, with Topps Tiles as our new main partners this season and also

A financial package is now in place to allow us to move forward over the next few years of our planning and, of course, the main ingredient will be the return of you, the Tigers Family, for matchdays.

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

CLUB PARTNERS

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

THE

TIGERS TEAM T H E M A N AG E M E N T T E A M

STEVE BORTHWICK Position: Head Coach

ALED WALTERS Position: Head of Physical Performance

BRETT DEACON Position: Assistant Coach

SIMON BARBOUR Position: Head of Analysis

TERESA CARRINGTON Position: Team Manager

MIKE FORD Position: Assistant Coach

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

F I R S T-T E A M S Q U A D

SAM ASPLAND-ROBINSON

RYAN BOWER

CYLE BRINK

CHARLIE CLARE

Position: Wing

Position: Prop

Position:

Back row

Position: Hooker

Born: 03/01/97

Born: 25/02/91

Born: 16/01/94

Born: 16/12/91

Height:

1.83m/6ft 0in

Height:

1.86m /6ft 1in

Height:

1.91m/6ft 3in

Height:

1.83m/6ft 0in

Weight:

94kg/14st 8lb

Weight:

108kg/17st 2lb

Weight:

114kg/18st 5lb

Weight:

110 kg/17st 4lb

ACADEMY GRADUATE

S P O N S O R E D BY:

JORDAN COGHLAN

DAN COLE

LUAN DE BRUIN

JOAQUIN DIAZ BONILLA

Back row

Position: Prop

Position: Fly-half

Born: 30/10/92

Position:

Born: 09/05/87

Born:

13/12/93

Born: 02/04/89

Height:

1.95m/6ft 4in

Height:

1.91m/6ft 3in

Height:

1.83m/6ft 0in

Height: 1.78m/5ft10in

Weight:

113kg/17st 11lb

Weight:

123kg/19st 5lb

Weight:

125kg/19st 11lb

Honours: England/Lions

Weight:

80kg/12st 8lb

Honours: Argentina

ACADEMY GRADUATE S P O N S O R E D BY:

S P O N S O R E D BY:

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

F I R S T-T E A M S Q U A D

GEORGE FORD

ELLIS GENGE

CALUM GREEN

TOM HARDWICK

Position: Fly-half

Position: Prop

Position: Lock

Position: Fly-half/Centre

Born: 16/03/93

Born: 16/02/95

Born: 15/07/90

Born: 24/03/99

Height:

1.78m/5ft 10in

Height:

1.86m/6ft 1in

Height:

1.93m/6ft 4in

Height:

1.75m/5ft 9in

Weight:

86kg/13st 7lb

Weight:

117kg/18st 6lb

Weight:

119kg/18st 12lb

Weight:

94kg/14st 13lb

Honours: England

Honours: England ACADEMY GRADUATE

ACADEMY GRADUATE

S P O N S O R E D BY:

ZACK HENRY

JOE HEYES

WILL HURD

JAKE KERR

Position: Fly-half

Position: Prop

Position: Hooker

Born: 01/10/94

Born: 13/04/99

Born: 29/06/99

Born: 13/04/96

Height:

1.83m/6ft 0in

Height:

1.93m/6ft 4in

Height:

1.86m/6ft 1in

Height:

1.85m/6ft 1in

Weight:

89kg/14st 0lb

Weight:

126kg/19st 12lb

Weight:

121kg/19st 1lb

Weight:

105kg/16st 7lb

Honours: Scotland ACADEMY GRADUATE

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

F I R S T-T E A M S Q U A D

TOMAS LAVANINI

NEPHI LEATIGAGA

SAM LEWIS

HANRO LIEBENBERG

Position: Lock

Position: Prop

Position: Lock/Flanker

Position:

Born: 22/01/93

Born: 09/12/93

Born: 27/04/98

Born: 10/10/95

Back row

Height:

2.01m/6ft 7in

Height:

1.93m/6ft 4in

Height:

1.95m/6ft 5in

Height:

1.97m/6ft 5 in

Weight:

130kg/20st 7lb

Weight:

149kg/23st 6lb

Weight:

110kg/17st 4lb

Weight:

110kg/17st 4lb

Honours: Argentina

Honours: Samoa ACADEMY GRADUATE S P O N S O R E D BY:

SHALVA MAMUKASHVILI

JOHNNY McPHILLIPS

JULIÁN MONTOYA

MATIAS MORONI

Position: Hooker

Position: Fly-half/Centre/Full-back

Position: Hooker

Position: Centre/Wing

Born: 02/10/90

Born: 13/03/97

Born: 29/10/93

Born: 10/07/91

Height:

1.80m/5ft 11in

Height:

1.80m/5ft 11in

Height:

1.83m/6ft 0in

Height:

1.83m/6ft 0in

Weight:

101kg/16st 9lb

Weight:

89kg/14st 0lb

Weight:

113kg/17st 11lb

Weight:

83kg/13st 5lb

Honours: Georgia

Honours: Argentina

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

F I R S T-T E A M S Q U A D

KINI MURIMURIVALU

NEMANI NADOLO

JORDAN OLOWOFELA

GUY PORTER

Position: Full-back/Wing

Position: Wing/centre

Position: Wing/full-back

Position: Centre/Wing

Born: 15/05/89

Born: 31/01/88

Born: 17/04/98

Born: 23/01/97

Height:

1.75m/5ft 9in

Height:

1.96m/6ft 5in

Height:

1.88m / 6ft 2in

Height:

1.85m/6ft 1lb

Weight:

83kg/13st 5lb

Weight:

120kg/19st 5lb

Weight:

92kg / 14st 7lb

Weight:

95kg/15st 1lb

Honours: Fiji

Honours: Fiji ACADEMY GRADUATE S P O N S O R E D BY:

HARRY POTTER

TOMMY REFFELL

MATT SCOTT

HARRY SIMMONS

Position: Wing Born: 15/12/97

Position: Flanker

Position: Centre

Position: Scrum-half

Born: 27/04/99

Born: 30/09/90

Height:

Born: 25/11/97

1.85m/6ft 1in

Height:

1.84m / 6ft 0in

Height:

1.85m/6ft 1in

Weight:

Height:

1.81m/5ft 11in

89kg/14st 13lb

Weight:

103kg / 16st 3lb

Weight:

101kg/15st 12lb

Weight:

90kg/14st 2lb

Honours: Scotland ACADEMY GRADUATE

ACADEMY GRADUATE S P O N S O R E D BY:

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

F I R S T-T E A M S Q U A D

JACO TAUTE

KOBUS VAN WYK

LUKE WALLACE

HARRY WELLS

Position: Centre/Full-back

Position: Wing

Position: Flanker

Position: Lock

Born: 21/03/91

Born: 22/01/92

Born: 02/10/90

Born: 29/09/93

Height:

1.91m/6ft 3 in

Height:

1.91m/6ft 3in

Height:

1.83m/6ft 0in

Height:

1.96m/6ft 5in

Weight:

108kg/17st 0lb

Weight:

98kg/15st 6lb

Weight:

100kg/15st 11lb

Weight:

110kg/17st 5lb

Honours:

South Africa ACADEMY GRADUATE S P O N S O R E D BY:

BEN WHITE

JASPER WIESE

RICHARD WIGGLESWORTH

GEORGE WORTH

Position: Scrum-half

Position:

Back row

Position: Scrum-half

Position: Centre/Full-back

Born: 27/05/98

Born: 21/10/95

Born: 09/06/83

Born: 08/10/96

Height:

1.81m/5ft 11in

Height:

1.91m/6ft 3ins

Height:

1.75m/5ft 9in

Height:

1.86m/6ft 1in

Weight:

87kg/13st 11lb

Weight:

116kg/18st 5lb

Weight:

83kg/13st 1lb

Weight:

95kg/14st 13lb

Honours: England ACADEMY GRADUATE S P O N S O R E D BY:

ACADEMY GRADUATE S P O N S O R E D BY:

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

F I R S T-T E A M S Q U A D

BEN YOUNGS

TOM YOUNGS

Position: Scrum-half

Position: Hooker

Born: 05/09/89

Born: 28/01/87

Height:

1.79m/5ft 10in

Height:

1.75m/5ft 9in

Weight:

88kg/13st 12lb

Weight:

104kg/16st 5lb

Honours: England/Lions

ACADEMY GRADUATE

S P O N S O R E D BY:

To sponsor a player or to receive more information on sponsoring a player please email Sales@tigers.co.uk

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

D E V E L O P M E N T S Q U A D

OLLIE ASHWORTH Position: Back row Born: 21/05/01 ACADEMY GRADUATE

JOE BROWNING Position: Wing/Centre Born: 14/04/01 ACADEMY GRADUATE

OLLIE CHESSUM Position: Back row Born: 06/09/00

OSMAN DIMEN Position: Prop Born: 30/09/98

SAM EDWARDS Position: Scrum-half Born: 14/06/02 ACADEMY GRADUATE

CAMERON HENDERSON Position: Lock Born: 13/01/00

EMEKA ILIONE Position: Back row Born: 20/03/02 ACADEMY GRADUATE

DAN KELLY Position: Centre Born: 16/01/01

HENRI LAVIN Position: Back row Born: 05/07/00 ACADEMY GRADUATE

JONNY LAW Position: Scrum-half Born: 19/12/00 ACADEMY GRADUATE

TOM MANZ Position: Lock Born: 09/07/01 ACADEMY GRADUATE

GEORGE MARTIN Position: Lock Born: 18/06/01 ACADEMY GRADUATE

JACK ROWNTREE Position: Prop Born: 06/05/02 ACADEMY GRADUATE

KIT SMITH Position: Back row Born: 29/09/01 ACADEMY GRADUATE

THOM SMITH Position: Back row Born: 02/12/1999 ACADEMY GRADUATE

FREDDIE STEWARD Position: Full-back Born: 05/12/00 ACADEMY GRADUATE

JACK VAN POORTVLIET Position: Scrum-half Born: 15/05/01 ACADEMY GRADUATE

ARCHIE VANES Position: Hooker Born: 16/09/01 ACADEMY GRADUATE

JAMES WHITCOMBE Position: Prop Born: 20/11/00 ACADEMY GRADUATE

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

LEICESTER TIGERS

FOUNDATION NEWS INSIDE SPORT

The Leicester Tigers Foundation, in partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner, is proud to announce a brand new initiative looking at tackling some of the dangers of violence posed to our young people. In response to an increase in children being involved, both directly or indirectly, with violence and exploitation, throughout this lockdown, 'Inside Sport' is a free session available to schools and run from the Mattioli Woods Welford Road stadium, to lightly address these dangers, alongside promoting healthy and safe lifestyles. We are not specifying a target age at this stage because many of these issues are present to all children. However, our qualified staff will tailor the content to be age-appropriate and engaging. Sessions will run for three hours and will consist of three parts: • Mattioli Woods Welford Road stadium tour • Interactive theory session focusing on associated risks for young people and how to keep yourself safe • Fun practical sessions focusing on health and wellbeing The sessions are completely free to any school group and will work on a first-come first-served basis. They will run on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from the week commencing March 8 with both morning or afternoon

sessions available. Free sessions are only available until the Easter Holidays, so please book in fast. Like all venues, the stadium has gone through many changes to ensure that it is at the forefront of safety and complies to all Covid regulations, which will give peace of mind for any schools

that wish to bring their students to these sessions. The Tigers Foundation will also send out risk assessments to any school group who books a session, ensuring you are happy with our practices, prior to attending. For further information, please contact sam.swift@tigers.co.uk

RACE AROUND THE WORLD

Our friends at KL Tigers in Malaysia are close to completing a lap of the globe in the Leicester Tigers Foundation Around the World Challenge. More than 500 members of the #TigersFamily have been adding their regular exercise routine to the mileage target to complete a lap of the world, representing the Tigers and our Global Partner Clubs. The Challenge was launched to support fitness and wellbeing, while also trying to support the Tigers Foundation’s work in delivering education and inclusion programmes within our community by raising some much-needed funds. Anyone who makes a contribution of £10 or more to the Foundation is entered into a draw to win a Tigers shirt. Look out for an update on the club website nexy week as we crown our Race Around The World winners.

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

LEICESTER TIGERS

COMMUNITY TEAM SUPPORTING TIGERS’ COMMUNITY PROGRAMME

ATTENTION PRIMARY SCHOOLS

TIGERS CHALLENGE

Premiership Rugby Champions is a free interactive curriculum-based digital app which brings rugby into the classroom and uses the sport to inspire primary school children across multiple subjects. The app is developed with expert learning technology company Aspire 2Be and contains themed lesson plans for use in the classroom, based around Numeracy, Health and Character, to help pupils develop digital literacy and important life skills. If you want to find out more, see the Education pages of the Community section on the Tigers website or contact the club’s Education and Engagement Manager, David McDonald, by emailing david.mcdonald@tigers.co.uk. If you go online, you’ll receive a link to a short video tutorial talking you through the app and how to discover worksheets and lesson plans for your pupils. Every entry will also be added into a special draw to win your school a visit from the Tigers club mascot Welford.

Make a note in your diary, The Tigers Challenge returns on the Bank Holiday weekend of April 29-May 2 next year and it promises to be even bigger and better! Following the announcement of a stepped schedule out of Covid regulations, Tigers Challenge organisers made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s event and immediately set their sights on an even better experience next year. The event will again be hosted at Butlin’s Minehead and more than 150 teams who booked for this year will have an exclusive period to transfer their registrations before other clubs are able to book. “It simply isn’t possible for us to provide the experience [in 2021] that everyone is looking forward to so much,” organisers said. “We know this news will be hugely disappointing to many, especially the 2,000 children who were looking forward to joining us on tour with team-mates this year. Rest assured, we’ll be pulling out all the stops to ensure that the 2022 Tigers Challenge is bigger and better than ever!”

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

Matchday mascot

Supported by

Supported by retailers NEXT, the Junior Tigers Club is THE place for young fans to celebrate their support of Leicester Tigers. Junior Membership is available now. Sign up at www.leicestertigers.com/jtc

A big Junior Tigers Club welcome to Joshua Upton, our virtual matchday mascot today. Although you can’t be here for the match, we’re sure you’ll be giving your support to the team and we hope you enjoy following all of the action. If you want to be in with the chance of being our next virtual mascot, buy a Junior Tigers Club membership for £35 and you will be entered into the draw for each home fixture. Membership benefits also include free bobble hat and goodie bag!

5 to Tackle 1. Which Tigers player scored a try for England against Wales last week? 2. Which three teams have Wales beaten this season to secure a Triple Crown? 3. Which scrum-half has captained Tigers this season? 4. Which Tigers prop is currently with the England squad? 5. Which country does Nephi Leatigaga represent?

Did you know? Tigers fly-half Johnny McPhillips was a county cricket captain through teenage age-groups and a footballer in the Newcastle United academy before focusing on rugby.

Chargedown Who is the Tigers player trying to block this kick?

Answers: Chargedown: Tomas Lavanini; Five to tackle: 1 Ben Youngs, 2 Scotland, Ireland, England, 3 Richard Wigglesworth, 4 Ellis Genge, 5 Samoa.

Proud sponsors of the Junior Tigers Club

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

Matt Hampson

FOUNDATION Update from one of the club’s official charities...

FIRST STEPS

Foundation beneficiary Olivia has become a regular at the Get Busy Living Centre since an injury in 2019 resulted in her being paralysed from the waist down. Since leaving hospital, she has become a regular visitor to the centre and has worked really hard on her rehab and physio. Olivia has made a huge amount of progress since her injury and has become stronger and more independent. This month she has taken her very first steps unsupported by the physio team.

TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE FOR HAMBO’S RAFFLE

Raffle tickets are still available for Hambo’s raffle online at justgiving.com/campaign/hambosraffle - get yours now before they’re gone! Usually at this time of year we’d be busy planning our Six Nations Dinner, which is among our biggest events in the calendar, and raises valuable funds for the Foundation. However, while we have to wait a little longer for our next glittering event due to the impact of the pandemic, we’ve launched a luxury raffle offering the chance to win some incredible prizes while raising some much-needed funds to help us continue to support our beneficiaries. We will also launch a silent auction in mid-March with some incredible prizes, including exclusive one-off pieces by sport artist and expressionist Ben Mosley, Paul Oz canvases, rare international match-worn shirts, limited-edition prints by mouth-artist Henry Fraser, festival and golf day tickets, and much more.

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

Tigers History

MAR

ON THIS DAY 1881: Leicester beat Rugby Rovers one goal to nil in the penultimate home game of the club’s debut season.

1949: Allan Towell scored the try in a 6-0 win over Harlequins.

1887: Half-back Dickie

Welford Road (14-8) despite a try from David Brook.

Snowden scored three times in an 11-0 win over Moseley Woodstock at Victoria Park.

1955: Harlequins won at

1890: Arthur McKechnie scored twice in a 5-1 win over county rivals Ashbyde-la-Zouch.

1960: Gordon Almey scored twice in a 16-6 home win over Quins. Dick Rawson, who scored four times in his eight outings during the season, was also on the mark.

1892: The Reverend Leonard

1966: Tigers beat Quins

Ward, a forward in his third season with the club, was among the scorers in a 12-7 win over Stratford-uponAvon. 1898: Harry Wilkinson

claimed three of the nine tries in a 31-0 win over Rugby in the first round of the Midland Counties Cup to launch the club on a run of eight successive Final victories.

1904: Jacky Braithwaite’s try secured a 3-0 win over Gloucester at Welford Road. 1910: Devonport Albion won

8-3 at Leicester.

1927: William Watts, who

would win a single cap for Wales, scored the only points in an 11-43 defeat away to Harlequins. 1932: Tom Berry made a tryscoring debut in a 13-11 win over Harlequins.

14-3 with tries from Malcolm Bussey and Mike Harrison.

1969: Loughborough Colleges were beaten 24-9 in a midweek fixture. 1976: A converted Angus

Collington try was all Tigers could muster in a 28-6 home defeat by Harlequins. Exactly a year later, the visitors made it back-toback successes with a 27-16 win on Tigers soil.

1982: Two days after victory over the Royal Navy, Tigers lost 13-7 at home to Harlequins. 1983: Another year on,

another defeat by Quins, this time 3-13.

1988: Rob Tebbutt, Darren Grewcock and Harry Roberts scored tries in a 28-8 win at Saracens.

5 1991: Tim Buttimore made

the last of his 98 appearances in a 57-13 midweek win over Loughborough Students. Alex Gissing and Chris Tressler were among the eight scorers.

1993: John Liley kicked five

penalties to go with tries from Aadel Kardooni and Simon Povoas in a 25-5 win over Moseley. 2011: Jeremy Stanton kicked

three penalties to go with a try from Manu Tuilagi in a 1514 defeat away to Saracens, after a run of nine successive wins in the Premiership since mid-November. Dan Hipkiss made his 131st and last appearance for Tigers. An academy graduate, Hipkiss made his debut in 2002 and scored the winning try in the Premiership Final against Saracens in 2010.

Tigers v London Irish_Layout 1 19/02/2021 13:56 Page 1

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LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

Ashton Gate was another in a long list of dual-purpose stadia to host Tigers

Inspired by an appearance at Ashton Gate last weekend, today we turn attention to Tigers appearances on football turf. The Tigers History Book compiled by Stuart Farmer and David Hands reminds us that many clubs fielded teams in both rugby and football in their early years, with Tigers actually playing against Derby County at rugby in 1884, a full six years before neighbours Leicester Fosse (now City) played them at football. To add to the cross-sport oddity, that 19th Century fixture was played at Derby’s Cricket ground, known as The Racecourse! Manningham were regular opponents for Tigers in those early years until they evolved into Bradford City FC, with two

of those games taking place at Valley Parade which has been home to the football team throughout its history. Groundshares have become more common in the professional era with Saracens initially based at Southbury Road Stadium, home to non-league Enfield FC, and then Vicarage Road, Watford before finding a home of their own in Barnet. London Wasps shared with Queens Park Rangers and then Wycombe Wanderers before moving to a Ricoh Arena they originally shared with Coventry City. In Europe, too, Tigers have trodden on football turf, with games against Toulouse at the city’s soccer stadium, while dual-purpose venues visited in the Premiership include the Kassam Stadium, Oxford

Stat Pack SOME OF THE FACTS AND FIGURES BEHIND THE HEADLINES...

(London Welsh), Madejski Stadium, Reading (London Irish), and both Ashton Gate and the Memorial Stadium in Bristol as well as, of course, the King Power Stadium, home to our neighbours City, and Sale’s homes at Edgeley Park, Stockport (shared with football) and the AJ Bell Stadium (shared with rugby league).

JH_Tigers Programme_Ad_Layout 1 17/08/2015 14:27 Page

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An unmissable lineup on BT Sport

LEICESTER TIGERS v LONDON IRISH

FanZone You Were Saying…

LEICESTER TIGERs

“Leicester’s Eddie Stobart… what a carry from Jasper Wiese” BT commentator Nick Mullins VERSUS

LONDON IRISH

“He has played in more Premiership games than Steve Borthwick, that is how long he has been around”

G A L L AG H E R P R E M I E R S H I P F R I DAY, M A R C H 5, 2021 K I C K- O F F 7.45 P M

PROGRAMME CREDITS Cover star: Zack Henry Editorial: Gary Sherrard, Phil Warrington & Sam Williamson Photography: Dave Wainwright, Malcolm Couzens, Geoff Sellars & James Baylis for Tiger Images and the team at Getty Images Design and Production: Ignition Sports Media

Nick Mullins again, on Richard Wigglesworth’s longevity

“He’s incredibly competitive every single day, it doesn’t matter what it is, he wants to win” Steve Borthwick on Richard Wigglesworth’s influence

“I’ve won two tosses out of two. That’s what counts. Go back in the changing room and tell them you’ve won already!” Richard Wigglesworth on the art of captaincy

BIRTHDAY WISHES

Happy birthday to our season ticket holders celebrating today... • Evie Ashford • Robert Ashford • Robert Bachelor • Philip Barston • Sarah Beer • Adam Boot • Patrick Bottom • Gemma Brindley • Shirley Coker

• Michael Da Silva • Christine Day • Henry Diamond • Paul Durrington • David Goadby • Regan Goode • Jamie Grant • Inna Hagger • Sue Hodson

• Kian Hughes • Arron Jones • Geoffrey Keeling • Stephen Meek • James Petrie • Karen Raynor • Aidan Reed • Hannah Robinson • Ben Rogers

• Bruce Sadler • Charles Sampson • Ian Stewart • Julian Turner • Louise Weir • Hayley Wells

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