2 September 2005
Leicester Tigers and England captain Martin Corry will lead his Tigers troops into battle in Saturday's GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP opener against Northampton Saints at Welford Road (kick-off 3pm). Corry's return to Tigers' starting XV is one of just two changes to the side that did duty against Munster last Friday evening.
Corry, who came off the bench in Tigers' 50-19 win, will wear the No.8 shirt against Northampton, with Will Johnson moving to the blindside position and Brett Deacon dropping down to the replacements' bench.
"Martin Corry played a few minutes on Friday night; he's fit, he's in a good condition and looking forward to the game," said Tigers head coach Pat Howard to www.leicestertigers.com. "It was tough leaving Brett out, but I think Cozza should be given a lot of accolades as a leader for both his country and his club. He's stood up and said, 'I want to lead Tigers out in their first game'. As an England coach I'd be thinking that's the kind of leader I want in my side."
New signings Alex Moreno (tighthead prop), Leo Cullen (lock) and Shane Jennings (openside flanker) will all make their GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP debuts for Tigers, whilst British & Irish Lions stars Graham Rowntree and Ben Kay have been named on an extended bench.
"A lot of the other guys were chomping at the bit to play, but we looked at them as individuals, as I've been saying all along," said Howard when quizzed about the issue of playing his Lions players. "This is virtually the same side that played against Munster; it's match-hardened, it's played some rugby and we think it will get us off to a good start this season."
Utility backs Austin Healey and Leon Lloyd have been named on the bench, with England No.9 Harry Ellis starting at scrum-half and England Sevens representative Dan Hipkiss starting at outside centre. The vastly-experienced Healey is set to provide cover at halfback in the absence of Scott Bemand, who suffered an ankle injury at training last week.
"Austin and Leon have both had long pre-seasons in order to get over a few injuries," said Howard. "Leon wasn't considered for the Connacht game and he had 20 minutes against Munster. I fully expect Leon to get some time at the weekend and he has a very positive influence on the squad, but at the same time I believe in Dan. I thought he played well against Munster, along with the likes of James Hamilton, Shane Jennings and Luke Abraham."
And looking ahead to Saturday's East Midlands derby, Howard concluded: "There's obviously going to be a lot of attention on Carlos Spencer, especially from a Northampton perspective, with both the press and the public. For us it's all about working off a strong base and making sure we're doing some things right out there."
Leicester Tigers team to face Northampton Saints:
15 Sam Vesty
14 Alesana Tuilagi
13 Dan Hipkiss
12 Daryl Gibson
11 Tom Varndell
10 Andy Goode
9 Harry Ellis
1 Michael Holford
2 George Chuter
3 Alex Moreno
4 James Hamilton
5 Leo Cullen
6 Will Johnson
7 Shane Jennings
8 Martin Corry (captain)
Replacements (from):
Ephraim Taukafa
Graham Rowntree
Ben Kay
Luke Abraham
Brett Deacon
Austin Healey
Ross Broadfoot
Leon Lloyd
Two of Northampton Saints' new Academy players have stepped straight into the first team for Saturday's derby clash with Leicester Tigers.
Hooker Dylan Hartley and flanker Alex Rae have both won starting spots in the first XV following their performances in Saints' pre-season games against Benetton Treviso, Munster and Leinster.
Director of rugby Budge Pountney said today: "There are three Academy boys in the whole squad - Mark Easter, Dylan Hartley and Alex Rae. They are three boys in their first year in Northampton Saints' Academy and they are proving their worth already.
"My league debut was at Leicester and it is a case of just get on and play; don't panic about it and enjoy the experience. They just need to play their natural game and hopefully the older boys will look after them a little bit."
The game will also mark GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP and Saints debuts for Carlos Spencer, David Quinlan and Daniel Browne and will represent a clash between two clubs both celebrating their 125th anniversaries this year.
Saturday's captain Bruce Reihana said: "This game is a huge start to the season and we are very excited about it. We have confidence in our ability and the way we play the game. It's just about turning up on the day and making sure we put pressure on the other team. It's a huge challenge."
Reihana, who was joint highest try scorer in the 2003/04 season, added: "It's not just about one person finding the spark; it's about 15 of us sparking each other and pushing each other. That's how good teams win by fronting up for each other."
Around 500 Saints supporters will make the journey to Welford Road on Saturday while around 2,000 more will watch a live broadcast feed to Franklin's Gardens by kind permission of Sky. Tickets are £5 to watch the game on the big screen and a donation will be made from the proceeds to the Matt Hampson Trust Fund. Leicester supporters are most welcome.
Northampton Saints
15 BRUCE REIHANA (capt)
14 John Rudd
13 Jon Clarke
12 Seamus Mallon
11 BEN COHEN
10 CARLOS SPENCER
9 MARK ROBINSON
1 TOM SMITH
2 Dylan Hartley
3 Brett Sturgess
4 Matt Lord
5 Damien Browne
6 Alex Rae
7 Darren Fox
8 Daniel Browne
Reps Dan Richmond, Chris Budgen, Selborne Boome, Johnny Howard, Rhodri Davies and Sean Lamont. |
