Tigers heading to the USA

Leicester Tigers are planning a ground-breaking trip to the United States next year, including a fixture against the best of the country's home-based players.

Ten-time English Premiership champions and twice European Cup winners, the Tigers have a supporter-base spread across the world and have forged strong links in countries including Malaysia, Italy and the Netherlands in recent years.

Tigers have been invited to the US, where Rugby Union is the country's fastest-growing sport, in the build-up to the 2015/16 season.

The trip will include the use of training facilities and also community appearances from the squad, with a fixture against a National Rugby Football League XV on Saturday, August 1.

Club Chief Executive Simon Cohen said: "The name of Leicester Tigers travels across the world and we're delighted to have been invited to witness the appetite for the game in the US at first hand.

"Sporting facilities and the pool of talent in so many sports in the US are the envy of organisations across the world and it should prove a very interesting trip for the club.

"Rugby is making massive strides in America and the fixture against a team selected from the National Rugby Football League clubs will provide an excellent platform both for the home-based players and also for our squad as they prepare for a new season."

Tigers already have one American link with the signing of US Eagles wing Blaine Scully.

He played in last week's historic Test against the All Blacks in Chicago.