Leicester Tigers v Leinster - Teams and Prediction
PREVIEW: Leicester Tigers will have five senior internationals back in their matchday squad to take on Leinster in Round Two of the Champions Cup.
England’s Freddie Steward, Joe Heyes and Jamie Blamire all return alongside Wales duo Tommy Reffell and Nicky Smith at Welford Road on Friday.
Flank Reffell leads the side in the week that his partner Annabel gave birth to their daughter Nancy.
Scrumhalf Tom Whiteley makes a landmark 50th appearance for the club, and Solomone Kata — who reached the half-century off the bench against La Rochelle – starts alongside Will Wand in midfield.
Friday’s match is a meeting of two European giants with six Champions Cup wins between them.
“We’re looking forward to the visit of Leinster to our Welford Road home,” said Leicester head coach Geoff Parling.
“It’s a proud moment for Tommy leading the team in what has been a big week for him with the birth of his daughter, Nancy, and the group is excited about both the fixture and getting behind him.”
Leicester have released a list of players unavailable to face Leinster, including Finn Carnduff and Hanro Liebenberg, who have received injury setbacks.
Parling said: “Finn was due to be on the bench for the La Rochelle game, but unfortunately dislocated his shoulder in training, which is devastating after he’d been working so hard previously in rehab.
“He had surgery yesterday [Thursday], and we look forward to getting a fit and healthy Finn back, as we can see from his attitude to compete every day what a good player he will be.
“Hanro took a knock to the knee in our PREM game at Newcastle, which required surgery. He’s an exceptional player and leader in the squad, so he will be missed. He should be back mid-January.”
After making his debut off the bench in Saturday’s 45-28 win over Harlequins, Rieko Ioane is set to make his first start for Leinster as he gets the nod in the centre alongside the returning Robbie Henshaw as part of seven changes to the starting XV from last weekend.
James Lowe also returns to the team, with Tommy O’Brien on the opposite wing and Jimmy O’Brien at fullback. Harry Byrne has been named at flyhalf, with Jamison Gibson-Park his partner at scrumhalf.
Caelan Doris captains the team from No.8 once more, with Jack Conan and Josh van der Flier completing an unchanged back row. James Ryan will make his 99th Leinster appearance as he returns to the starting XV, with Joe McCarthy joining him in the second row.
Tadhg Furlong and Rónan Kelleher come in at tighthead prop and hooker respectively, while Paddy McCarthy continues at loosehead. Dan Sheehan, Jack Boyle and Thomas Clarkson provide the front row cover, with Diarmuid Mangan and Max Deegan completing the forward replacements.
Luke McGrath and Sam Prendergast offer cover for the halfbacks, with Ciarán Frawley completing the matchday 23.
Prediction
Rugby365: Leinster by nine points.
Teams:
Leicester Tigers: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Will Wand, 12 Solomone Kata, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Tom Whiteley, 8 Joaquin Moro, 7 Tommy Reffell (captain), 6 James Thompson, 5 Harry Wells, 4 Cameron Henderson, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie Blamire, 1 Nicky Smith.
Replacements: 16 Finn Theobald Thomas, 17 Archie van der Flier, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Tom Manz, 20 Sam Williams, 21 Ollie Allan, 22 Orlando Bailey, 23 Joseph Woodward.
Leinster: 15 Jimmy O’Brien, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Harry Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (captain), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Jack Conan, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Paddy McCarthy.
Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Jack Boyle, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Diarmuid Mangan, 20 Max Deegan, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Sam Prendergast, 23 Ciarán Frawley.
Date: Friday, December 12
Venue: Mattioli Woods Welford Road
Kick-off: 20:00 (20:00 GMT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant referees: Vincent Blasco Baque (France), Julien Caulier (France)
TMO: Tual Trainini (France)
