Leicester Tigers v Connacht Rugby Digital Matchday Programme (03-04-2021)

LEICESTER TIGERs

VERSUS

CONNACHT RUGBY

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP SAT U R DAY, A P R I L 3, 2 0 2 1 K I C K- O F F 8.0 0 P M

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03

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

THE TEAMS

LEICESTER TIGERS

CONNACHT RUGBY

S TA R T I N G X V -

ZACK HENRY

T P C D

15

T P C D

JOHN PORCH

-

-

HARRY POTTER

T P C D

14

T P C D

BEN O’DONNELL

-

ARG

MATÍAS MORONI

T P C D

13

T P C D

SEAN O’BRIEN

-

SCO

MATT SCOTT

T P C D

12

T P C D

TOM DALY

-

-

GUY PORTER

T P C D

11

T P C D

ALEX WOOTTON

-

-

JOHNNY McPHILLIPS

T P C D

10

T P C D

CONOR FITZGERALD

ENG / LIONS

BEN YOUNGS (C)

T P C D

9

T P C D

KIERAN MARMION

IRL

-

LUAN DE BRUIN

T P C D

1

T P C D

FINLAY BEALHAM

IRL

-

CHARLIE CLARE

T P C D

2

T P C D

DAVE HEFFERNAN

IRL

-

JOE HEYES

T P C D

3

T P C D

JACK AUNGIER

-

-

CAMERON HENDERSON

T P C D

4

T P C D

ULTAN DILLANE

IRL

ARG

TOMÁS LAVANINI

T P C D

5

T P C D

GAVIN THORNBURY

-

ENG

GEORGE MARTIN

T P C D

6

T P C D

PAUL BOYLE

-

-

LUKE WALLACE

T P C D

7

T P C D

CONOR OLIVER

-

-

JASPER WIESE

T P C D

8

T P C D

ABRAHAM PAPALI’I

-

-

NIC DOLLY

T P C D

16

T P C D

SHANE DELAHUNT

-

-

JAMES WHITCOMBE

T P C D

17

T P C D

JORDAN DUGGAN

-

-

WILL HURD

T P C D

18

T P C D

DOMINIC ROBERTSON-McCOY

-

-

HARRY WELLS

T P C D

19

T P C D

NIALL MURRAY

-

-

TOMMY REFFELL

T P C D

20

T P C D

SEAN MASTERSON

-

-

BEN WHITE

T P C D

21

T P C D

COLM REILLY

-

-

DAN KELLY

T P C D

22

T P C D

JACK CARTY

IRL

-

FREDDIE STEWARD

T P C D

23

T P C D

PETER SULLIVAN

-

R E P L AC E M E N T S

M AT C H O F F I C I A L S Referee: Mr Adam Jones (WAL) Assistants: Mr Jack Makepeace (ENG) & Mr Phil Watters (ENG) TMO: Mr Sean Brickell (WAL) Citing Officer: Mr Patrice Frantschi (FRA) A N Y L AT E C H A N G E S W I L L B E C O N F I R M E D O N T H E W E B S I T E

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LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY CONTENTS 3 TEAMS 7 CHALLENGE CUP MESSAGE 9 WELCOME FROM THE CHAIRMAN 10 STEVE BORTHWICK’S NOTES 12 CLUB NEWS 14 EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP GUIDE 18 MATCH PREVIEWS 23 MEET THE OPPOSITION 28 TIGERS AND THE IRISH 34 A SPECIAL EUROPEAN ANNIVERSARY 36 PREMIERSHIP ROUND-UP 39 FROM THE BOARDROOM 44 TIGERS PLAYING SQUAD 52 FULL FIXTURE LIST 54 PLAYER STATS 57 TIGERS MATCHFILE 59 JUNIOR TIGERS CLUB 61 THE STAT PACK 63 COMMUNITY TEAM 64 THE TIGERS FOUNDATION 67 ON THIS DAY 68 MATT HAMPSON FOUNDATION 71 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)

Photos © Pressesports

WE ARE RUGBY

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

07

EPCR CHAIRMAN

WELCOME MESSAGE After the temporary suspension of this season’s proceedings, it is my pleasure to send my belated best wishes for 2021 at the start of a European Rugby Challenge Cup knockout stage that remains unchanged, despite the disruptions to the earlier part of the season as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We were, of course, disappointed to have to take the decision to cancel Rounds 3&4 of the Preliminary Stage this season due to the global pandemic, but the plan for this expanded knockout stage is unchanged with the top eight clubs in the classification at the half-way stage joined by the eight clubs who did not progress from the Pool Stage to the Round of 16 in the Heineken Champions Cup. We are grateful to the shareholder leagues and unions for joining us in brokering a compromise for the remainder of the campaign, but take nothing for granted and remain committed to implementing the robust processes that merge the numerous different local authority directives to determine whether matches are safe to go ahead or not. The safety of all concerned is of paramount importance.

The 16 teams still in the hunt for Challenge Cup glory bring plenty of quality, as well as diversity, with two matches over this Easter weekend being played in Italy because of impressive wins in France this season for both Benetton Rugby and Zebre Rugby Club. There are four former European champions lining up in this round in Bath Rugby, Leicester Tigers (twice), Northampton Saints and Ulster Rugby and the latter’s match against Harlequins - who share the Challenge

Cup record with ASM Clermont Auvergne with three tournament wins and one runners-up berth - has been a recent match-up at the continent’s top table.

Connacht Rugby are extending their record for Challenge Cup appearances in this round with their 127th at Leicester and with Cardiff Blues (2010 and 2018) and Montpellier (2016) also having previously won this tournament, it is a line-up that screams pedigree and should make for a very entertaining weekend.

We thank our broadcast partners - BT Sport, beIN SPORTS, France Télévisions and Sky Italia domestically - for their dedication to taking the action to homes across the world, which has been appreciated even more with limited or no crowds over the last year. Audiences will be rewarded with a bumper weekend over this Easter period!

We share this journey with you, the fans, but also with the support of official partners Tissot, the Financial Times, Gilbert and Kappa, and hope to be in your company soon once more as we make our way through what promises to be a compelling conclusion to this season of European club rugby tournaments.

Yours in Rugby, Simon Halliday, Chairman, EPCR

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LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

Peter Tom CBE

CHAIRMAN Opening words from the Chairman of the Leicester Tigers.

Welcome to matchday and to this Round of 16 fixture in the European Challenge Cup. I hope you are enjoying your Easter weekend and have been able to spend some time with family and friends in line with the easing of certain lockdown restrictions earlier this week, as well as enjoying some better weather.

We send a very warm Mattioli Woods Welford Road welcome to our visitors from Connacht Rugby for the firstever competitive meeting of the teams.

It is so disappointing that supporters cannot be here to share in this historic occasion as I am sure the #TigersFamily would have enjoyed welcoming our visitors.

Many of who have struck up firm friendships with supporters of other clubs in European competition, especially so in the case of the Irish clubs either on our trips over there or their visits to Leicester, and a big Saturday evening crowd would have provided a perfect backdrop for today’s game.

This is our 15th home match without a crowd inside the stadium which shows just how long-ranging the impact of Covid has been. In that respect, it was good to learn

that Premiership Rugby have been able to secure further government funding through the sport survival packages as we work our way through the challenges of operating for such a lengthy period of time without matchday income.

As we announced recently, the club has been working hard to establish a firm financial footing to take us through this

Falcons, and it puts us in seventh place in the Gallagher Premiership table as we switch attention to Europe.

A huge amount of effort has gone into the season already, led by Steve and Aled, and the players will be happy to see the results of their hard work week in, week out are beginning to show in their performances and results.

Another win in the Premiership

period and it all helps with our plans for the future, for getting back into the community, back into schools and local clubs, and engaging with our supporters to promote our game and our club.

The team picked up another win last Sunday, in a scrappy encounter with Newcastle

I know, too, that you will all be very keen to get behind them again this afternoon, wherever you follow the action.

I hope you all remain safe and well, and as ever, thank you for your outstanding support of our club.

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LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

Head coach Steve Borthwick

FROM THE TOUCHLINE “We are trying to make steps forward, but we have a lot to do. We could have played a lot better against Newcastle on Sunday but it was important that we got the win because there has been a habit of losing games over the last few seasons. We are trying to change that habit and the players are working exceptionally hard.

We are playing against a good Connacht team today, they’ve shown that with some great results away from home, and we know it is a huge challenge.

They have talked about their aspirations in this tournament, talked about wanting to beat Leicester here, and we know it is going to be an intense encounter.”

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LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

CLUB NEWS

New host for Varsity Mattioli Woods Welford Road will host the Varsity Matches between Oxford and Cambridge Universities on Sunday, July 4.

The new date has been chosen for the annual ‘Battle of the Blues’ with Twickenham unable to host the iconic fixtures this year.

Instead, Oxford captains Fiona Kennedy and George Messum, and Cambridge duo Elisha Clark and Stephen Leonard have agreed to bring their games to Leicester.

Also, the move to the summer is in line with the RFU’s current ‘return to rugby’ plan and will give the students training and playing time in the buildup to the Varsity Matches.

Club chairman Peter Tom CBE said: “Mattioli Woods Welford Road is an iconic home of rugby and we are delighted to be able to host an iconic fixture at our home stadium.

“Getting people into the stadium to enjoy their rugby is why we are here and to be able to host such a prestigious match and welcome a large crowd is an exciting opportunity for Tigers and the rugby community in the East Midlands and beyond, especially in these challenging times.

“It will be an honour for the club to welcome Oxford and Cambridge to Leicester.”

Tim Jones, chairman of the Varsity Match Company Ltd, added: “With all the uncertainty surrounding amateur contact sport and the return to play for rugby at student level, everyone is delighted to have agreed the date and venue for the Varsity Matches.

“We all know that the path of the pandemic is unpredictable and the Government’s roadmap may change. However, with the progress of the vaccine programme, we are hopeful that we will be able to stage the matches in front of some spectators.

“The Varsity Match has an incredible history and, we believe, remains the pinnacle of amateur rugby.”

Cambridge won 15-0 in front of a crowd of 22,863 in the men’s match last year to move into a 64-60 lead in a series that dates back to 1872. They also won the women’s match 8-5 to complete a Light Blue double.

Tigers have also hosted the city’s varsity fixtures between De Montfort University and University of Leicester since 2002.

Topps Tiles Try-Umph Voting for the Topps Tiles Try-umph of the Month for March is now open with a shortlist featuring Hanro Liebenberg, Kobus van Wyk and Kini Murimurivalu.

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LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

HOW IT WORKS

Everything you need to know about the European Challenge Cup...

STORY SO FAR The original revised format for 2020-21 required further alteration when fixtures in two rounds of the pool stages were suspended in the new year, with placings instead being taken after the initial games to produce a Round of 16.

Where teams were level on points in the preliminary pool, ranking was decided as follows: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)

points difference, then if equal, tries scored, then if equal, fewest number of players suspended for disciplinary incidents, then if equal, by drawing lots.

ROUND OF 16 After beating Brive at home and their Top14 colleagues Bayonne away, Tigers were guaranteed a home draw at this stage.

Today’s visitors Connacht were among the Champions Cup teams who were placed in the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup. Clubs from the same country were kept apart in the draw at this stage, with an open draw resuming from the quarter-finals onwards.

AND THEN… The quarter-finals are scheduled for next weekend, with the semi-finals to follow at the end of the month and the Final in May. IN THE EVENT OF A DRAW If the scores are tied at full-time in any knockout rounds, then 20 minutes (two periods of 10 minutes) of extra time will be played.

If at the end of extra time the scores are still level, then the winners will be the team which has scored the most tries in the game, including extra time.

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

If the teams are level on points and tries at the end of extra time, then the winners will be determined by a place kicking competition as follows: • • • • •

•

Each team will be asked to nominate THREE goalkickers from the players on the pitch at the final whistle.

No substituted or dismissed player will be permitted to take part.

The end at which the competition takes place will be determined by toss of a coin.

The team to kick first will also be determined by a toss of a coin.

Each kicker will have two kicks from designated positions on the 22 and 10 metre lines and, after each team has completed their six kicks, a winner will be declared.

If the teams remain deadlocked, the competition will continue on a sudden-death basis.

PLACE-KICKING COMPETITION All players and match officials will remain on the pitch. The referee will call the captains together and conduct two coin tosses. The first will decide

15

which team selects the end at which all placekicks must be taken, the second toss to decide which team selects whether it wishes to kick first or second in sequence. It may be that the same team wins both tosses in which case it may select the end at which all place kicks must be taken and whether it wishes to kick first or second in sequence.

Each team must nominate three players to take part who will be referred to throughout the placekick competition as Kicker 1, Kicker 2 and Kicker 3.

The match officials and the six nominated players will assemble on the halfway line. Coaching / management / medical staff and non-nominated players remain in their respective technical zone.

The three players from each team kick in the order and from the positions set out below: • • • •

Kicker 1 from Team A first to take his kick from position 1, on the 22-metre line in a central position.

Kicker 1 from Team B as above.

Kicker 2 from Team A from position 2, at the junction of the 15-metre and 22-metre lines on the right side of the pitch.

Kicker 2 from Team B as above.

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• • • • • • • •

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

Kicker 3 from Team A to take his kick from position 3, at the junction of the 15-metre and 22-metre lines on the left side of the pitch.

Kicker 3 from Team B as above Kicker 1 from Team A to take his kick from position 4, on the 10-metre line in a central position.

Kicker 1 from Team B as above Kicker 2 from Team A to take his kick from position 5, at the junction of the 15-metre and 10-metre lines on the right side of the pitch.

Kicker 2 from Team B as above.

Kicker 3 from Team A to take his kick from position 6, at the junction of the 15-metre and 10-metre lines on the left side of the pitch.

Kicker 3 from Team B as above.

After each of the three nominated players from each team has taken his two kicks, the referee will declare the winning team based on the number of successful kicks. If there is an equal number of successful kicks, the competition continues on a ‘sudden death’ basis. All kicks will take place from position 4 and will take place in the following order: • Kicker 1 from Team A, then Kicker 1 from Team B • Kicker 2 from Team A, then Kicker 2 from Team B • Kicker 3 from Team A, then Kicker 3 from Team B The competition will continue two kicks at a time (one from each team in the order set out above) until one player succeeds and the player from the other team taking the corresponding kick misses.

Throughout the place-kick competition: •

•

•

Once a player has positioned the ball on the kicking tee, he must take the kick within one minute. Should he take longer, the referee shall declare the kick unsuccessful.

Whether or not the kick is successful is the sole decision of the referee, who may at his sole discretion rely on the assistance of his assistant referees.

If a selected kicker becomes injured, he may be replaced by another player who was on the pitch at the end of extra-time.

CHALLENGE CUP TABLE

Pl W D L PF PA Diff TF Pts London Irish 2 2 0 0 60 25 35 9 10 Ospreys 2 2 0 0 77 44 33 9 10 Cardiff Blues 2 2 0 0 61 20 41 7 9 Leicester Tigers 2 2 0 0 67 37 30 7 9 Zebre Rugby 2 1 1 0 43 41 2 5 6 Agen 2 1 0 1 36 34 2 5 5 Benetton 2 1 0 1 44 48 -4 7 5 Newcastle Falcons 2 1 0 1 46 50 -4 5 4 Pau 2 1 0 1 41 46 -5 5 4 Bayonne 2 0 1 1 45 53 -8 5 2 Worcester Warriors 2 0 0 2 49 62 -13 6 2 Brive 2 0 0 2 33 57 -24 2 1 Castres Olym 2 0 0 2 32 65 -33 5 0 Stade Francais 2 0 0 2 20 72 -52 3 0 HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP TABLES POOL A Pl W D L PF PA Diff TF Pts Leinster 2 2 0 0 70 33 37 9 10 Wasps 2 2 0 0 57 22 35 9 10 Bordeaux-B 2 2 0 0 63 20 43 8 9 La Rochelle 2 2 0 0 41 8 33 6 9 Scarlets 2 2 0 0 51 19 32 6 9 Edinburgh 2 1 0 1 24 28 -4 2 5 RC Toulon 2 1 0 1 26 42 -16 2 4 Sale Sharks 2 0 0 2 29 42 -13 4 1 Northampton 2 0 0 2 31 51 -20 3 1 Bath Rugby 2 0 0 2 19 51 -32 2 1 Montpellier 2 0 0 2 28 68 -40 3 0 Dragons 2 0 0 2 16 71 -55 2 0 POOL B Pl W D L PF PA Diff TF Pts Lyon 2 2 0 0 83 10 73 12 10 Racing 92 2 2 0 0 75 29 46 11 10 Toulouse 2 2 0 0 57 22 35 8 10 Munster 2 2 0 0 60 38 22 5 8 ASM Clermont Auv 2 1 0 1 82 77 5 11 6 Bristol Bears 2 1 0 1 65 69 -4 9 6 Exeter Chiefs 2 1 0 1 42 28 14 6 5 Gloucester 2 1 0 1 48 89 -41 6 5 Ulster Rugby 2 0 0 2 56 67 -11 7 3 Connacht 2 0 0 2 40 53 -13 5 1 Harlequins 2 0 0 2 14 70 -56 2 0 Glasgow Warriors 2 0 0 2 0 70 -70 0 0

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LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

THE BIG MATCH Tigers welcome Connacht Rugby in European competition...

This is the first-ever competitive meeting between Leicester and Connacht, while also coincidentally completing a full set for both clubs.

Tigers have previously faced the other Irish provinces in European competition, while Connacht have been drawn against all of the other current Premiership clubs either in the Champions Cup or Challenge Cup. Connacht are the Challenge Cup’s most experienced campaigners with a record 126 matches in the competition before they arrive at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, and reaching the knockout stages in 11 seasons.

They have also had six seasons in the Champions Cup, where they started this year with defeats by Racing 92 and Bristol Bears before moving into the Challenge Cup for the knockout stages.

Tigers were European champions in 2001 and ’02, and reached the last four in this tournament last season before being beaten by RC Toulon in the south of France.

They qualify for the last 16 among the top seeds following successive wins in the preliminary stage over Top14 duo Brive and Bayonne.

Connacht finished the Pro14 campaign in second place in their pool behind Munster, with eight wins in 16 rounds. They collected a remarkable 13 bonus points in the process to stay ahead of Scarlets and Cardiff Blues who had won an equal number of fixtures.

Connacht coach Andy Friend

FROM BOTH SIDES Scrum-half Frank Murphy started a Premiership and European Cup Final in his debut season with Tigers back in 2006-07.

The County Cork native had joined Tigers from Munster and was among the tryscorers in the Premiership Final win over Gloucester - with 17-year-old Ben Youngs on the bench - before starting the European Final against Wasps in direct opposition to his former Munster teammate Eoin Reddan. He made 47 appearances for the club before returning to Ireland with Connacht in 2008, playing his 100th game for them in December 2013. He retired that season and is now a referee.

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LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

ELSEWHERE IN THIS ROUND ZEBRE RUGBY CLUB v BATH RUGBY The competition resumes in Parma with Zebre aiming for a place in the last 16 for the first time. The Italians drew at home to Bayonne in Round 1 and then produced one of their best results in the competition with an 18-16 win away to Brive.

Bath come into this competition after defeat by the Scarlets in the Champions Cup. They are eighth in the Gallagher Premiership with seven wins, but lost narrowly at London Irish last weekend after big victories over Newcastle and Worcester in the previous two rounds.

LONDON IRISH v CARDIFF BLUES Irish were top of the standings after bonus-point wins against Agen and Pau to guarantee a home draw at their new base in Brentford. They go into this round on the back of a win over Bath which kept them in the top half of the Premiership table.

Cardiff Blues won at Newcastle in their European opener and were then handed the points from a cancelled game against Stade Francais. They finished the Pro14 season with a won eight, lost eight record, sitting fourth in a pool topped by Munster.

have improved their results in the Top14 and are among the past winners of the Challenge Cup, lifting the trophy with victory over Harlequins in 2016.

Glasgow have extensive experience gained from more than 20 years of the Champions Cup and twice reached the knockout stages in the last five seasons.

BENETTON RUGBY v AGEN Cup rivals Benetton and Agen are without a league win between them this season.

The Italian side have lost all 15 games in the Pro14 programme, while Agen are adrift at the bottom of the Top14, without a win in 20 rounds.

In Europe, though, Benetton scored a memorable 44-20 win away to Stade Francais with former Tigers wing Leo Sarto among the tryscorers.

The two teams were due to meet in Treviso in the preliminary stage but the game was cancelled with Agen taking the points.

OSPREYS v NEWCASTLE FALCONS

Both Montpellier and Glasgow began the season in the Champions Cup but failed to pick up a point between them in two games before its suspension.

Ospreys are the top scorers in the tournament so far, with 77 points in wins over Castres and Worcester to guarantee a home draw at this stage. They have the top-scoring player too in veteran fly-half Stephen Myler and leading tryscorer in Sam Parry.

After a tough start to the domestic season, Montpellier

The region finished the Pro14 campaign behind Leinster and

MONTPELLIER v GLASGOW WARRIORS

Ulster in their pool, winning eight out of 16 rounds.

Newcastle Falcons sit in 10th place in the Premiership after defeat at Leicester and reached the Round of 16 thanks to an away win over Castres following home defeat by Cardiff Blues.

DRAGONS v NORTHAMPTON SAINTS Dragons ended their Pro14 programme with a win last weekend, when Jonah Holmes was among the scorers against Edinburgh, but were beaten by both Wasps and BordeauxBegles in the first stage of the Champions Cup. Saints also came from the Champions Cup where they lost to Bordeaux-Begles at home and against Leinster in Dublin, but have hit some form in the Premiership, scoring 62 points in victory at Worcester.

HARLEQUINS v ULSTER Three-time Challenge Cup winners Harlequins lost to Munster and Racing 92 in tough Champions Cup encounters before Christmas, but have been in fine form domestically as the top points scorers in the Premiership and go into Europe with confidence from a run into the top four.

Former European champions Ulster also kicked off the season in the Champions Cup, but lost narrowly to Toulouse and Gloucester. They won 14 out of 16 domestically but finished behind Munster who boasted seven more bonus points.

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LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

T O D AY ’ S O P P O S I T I O N

CONNACHT RUGBY ESTABLISHED

HOME

CAPACITY

PRO12

1885

THE SPORTSGROUND

8,129

CHAMPIONS 2015-16

CHALLENGE CUP RECORD

66

473

19

MICHAEL SWIFT

ERIC ELWOOD

MATT HEALY

APPEARANCES

POINTS

TRIES

GAMES 126 SEMI-FINALISTS 2003-04, 2004-05, 2009-10 CHAMPIONS CUP RECORD SEASONS

6

POINTS

124

DAN PARKS

2020-21 PRO14 SEASON PLD 16 WON 8 FOR 396 AGAINST 353 BONUS POINTS 13

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LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

SQUAD 2020-21 – BACKS – Pos / Honours / Age / Last Club BUNDEE AKI C

Ireland

BEN O’DONNELL 30 Waikato

SAM ARNOLD C

Ireland -

Munster

-

26

Academy

-

27

Leinster

-

23

-

-

Ireland

30 Academy

FB/W

-

27

Northern Suburbs

C

-

26

Leinster

SH

-

21

Academy

22

Academy

26

Munster

28

Academy

PETER SULLIVAN 23

Academy

TOM FARRELL C

FB

COLM REILLY

CONOR DEAN FH

Randwick

PETER ROBB

COLM DE BUITLEAR FB/W

25

JOHN PORCH

TOM DALY C

-

TIERNAN O’HALLORAN 24

CAOLIN BLADE SH

FB/W

W/FB

-

ALEX WOOTTON 28

Bedford

FB/W

-

23

-

ONE TO WATCH

25

Munster

19

-

32

Lansdowne

24

-

21

-

CONOR FITZGERALD FH

-

STEPHEN FITZGERALD FB

-

JACK CARTY FH

Ireland

CATHAL FORDE FH

-

MATT HEALY W

Ireland

STEPHEN KERINS SH

-

DIARMUID KILGALLEN W

-

KIERAN MARMION SH

Ireland

29

UWIC

21

-

ORAN McNULTY FB

-

After age-group honours as a footballer, Jack joined the Connacht academy from the Buccaneers club and is now the province’s record points scorer in the Pro14. He signed professional terms in 2014 and gained his first Test call-up in 2019, making his debut in a win over Italy in Rome.

25

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

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

JACK AUNGIER P

-

22

Leinster

29

Academy

24

Leinster

FINLAY BEALHAM P

-

BR

PAUL BOYLE BR

-

DENIS BUCKLEY P

-

30 Academy

MATTHEW BURKE P

-

24

Academy

29

Brumbies

JARRAD BUTLER BR

-

-

23

Rugby United NY

-

27

Academy

Ireland

27

Munster

-

23

Leinster

-

23

Academy

-

21

-

-

23

Academy

Ireland

30 Academy

-

24

Academy

-

23

Academy

-

Rotherham

L

-

-

-

L

-

21

Academy

L

-

25

Academy

FH

-

25

Munster

L

-

21

-

P

-

27

Northland

L

Ireland

30 Leinster

L

-

27

Wanganui

DYLAN TIERNEY MARTIN

PADDY McALLISTER P

28

GAVIN THORNBURY

SEAN MASTERSON BR

-

QUINN ROUX

CONOR KENNY P

H

DOMINIC ROBERTSON-McCOY

DAVID HEFFERNAN H

20 -

CIAN PRENDERGAST

CILLIAN GALLAGHER L/BR

-

CONOR OLIVER

JOSH DUNNE BR

BR

SEAN O’BRIEN

JORDAN DUGGAN P

Capped at under-20s level by both Scotland and Ireland, Eoghan joined Connacht after coming through age grades with Leinster and captained Connacht Eagles in the British and Irish Cup on the way to establishing himself in the senior squad.

NIALL MURRAY

OISIN DOWLING L

Academy

DARRAGH MURRAY

ULTAN DILLANE L

27

JONNY MURPHY

DEAN DELAHUNT H

-

OISIN McCORMACK

CORMAC DALY L

EOGHAN MASTERSON

31

Gloucester

H

-

21

-

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28

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

T IGE R S TA L K

THE BEST OF RIVALS

Tigers break new ground today with a first competitive fixture against Connacht Rugby. But the Leicester stadium has welcomed Irish clubs for more than 125 years, since Bective Rangers first travelled here at the end of the 19th Century. Today we recall the first encounters with the each of the Irish provinces in European competition, dating back to Tigers’ first-ever game in the Heineken Cup...

29

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

T IGE R S TA L K

The Leinster rivalry has included many big games

Leinster October 1996

Several years ago, when we celebrated the Tigers’ 100th game in Europe, the pages of the matchday programme included scores of memories from that notable century from players, coaches, fans and media pundits. Among them was a confession from Bleddyn Jones, the former fly-half who had seen every one of those games at first hand in his capacity as commentator with BBC Radio Leicester.

Among his anecdotes from following Tigers in Europe, he recalled: “Picking up the wrong suitcase at Dublin Airport at Tigers’ first-ever game versus Leinster at Lansdowne Road and opening it at the Jewry’s Hotel to find it full of baby clothes.”

Fortunately, Tigers were much more successful on their European debut, winning 27-10 against Leinster despite making a stuttering start to the 1996-97 league season.

English and Scottish clubs had not been involved in the Heineken Cup debut season in 1995-96, when Toulouse lifted the trophy, but Leinster had got their first taste of the cross-border competition, winning both pool fixtures against Pontypridd and Milan before semi-final elimination by Cardiff who then lost in the final at their own Arms Park.

In answer to a popular quiz question, prop Graham Rowntree was the scorer of the Tigers’ first European Cup try, getting over the line in the last minute of the first half against a Leinster line-up which included Alain Rolland at scrum-half.

Rolland would later reach three Heineken Cup Finals as a referee.

The trip to Dublin and a win at Lansdowne Road, which was repeated in a famous quarter-final in 2005 before the old stadium was redeveloped, also signalled the day that Leon Lloyd - the tryscoring hero when Leicester rose to rule Europe in 2001 - showed his potential as he was selected to deputise for the injured Rory Underwood, England’s record Test try scorer.

Austin Healey, who’d made his debut in a challenge match against Agen just six weeks earlier and would also play a huge part in the team’s ascent to the top in Europe, started on the bench with Aadel Kardooni still first choice at scrum-half.

Kardooni and long-serving flanker John Wells joined Rowntree on the scoresheet while Rob Liley, another new arrival at the start of the season, converted all three tries and added two penalties.

It was a decent start, though Tigers had to wait to top Pool B after Pau’s opening 85-28 win over Scottish Borders.

30

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

T IGE R S TA L K

Munster May 2002

In the Irish love affair with European club rugby, there is perhaps most romance in Munster’s pursuit to be crowned kings of the continent. After defeat in the 2000 Final and in the semi-final a year later, the men in red had another chance in 2002. Waiting for them, though, were the reigning champions Leicester, bidding to become the first team to retain the trophy.

The Millennium Stadium provided a fittingly spectacular backdrop to a great European rugby occasion.

Leon Lloyd, two-try hero a year earlier, missed out with a shoulder injury, and teenage scrum-half Harry Ellis, who had scored in the semi-final win over Llanelli Scarlets in Nottingham, gave way to the experienced Jamie Hamilton.

Tim Stimpson, Geordan Murphy, Austin Healey, Graham Rowntree, Darren Garforth, Ben Kay, Martin Corry, Neil Back and captain Martin Johnson all started a second successive Final.

The names of Stringer, O’Gara, O’Connell, Quinlan, Foley and Wallace which would become synonymous with a great Munster side over a full decade were all there, looking to go one better than 2000.

Tigers thought they’d got off to a dream start through Freddie Tuilagi, only to be hauled back for obstruction, but the Samoan powerhouse was back on the ball in the build-up to a score for Murphy with Munster still one point in front at the break.

Then Healey, starting at fly-half, made a decisive breakthrough, beating opposite number O’Gara to score, with Stimpson adding the conversion and a penalty soon afterwards to finally put the defending champions in the driving seat.

Healey then denied John O’Neil a try, making enough contact to take him into the corner flag before he could put the ball down and, of course, there was Neil Back’s role which grabbed the headlines, especially in Ireland, as Tigers defended the 15-9 lead to the final whistle.

Famous away day in Limerick

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

31

T IGE R S TA L K

Ulster

January 2004 Rarely could back-to-back legs of a European tie swing so wildly in opposite directions as they did in the meetings between Tigers and Ulster in the pool stages of the 2003-04 season.

Ireland’s first European champions when led

by David Humphreys to victory over Colomiers in the 1999 Final, Ulster finished bottom of their pool in each of the following two seasons and had not returned to the knockout stages again by the time they met Tigers for the first time in the tournament in the third round during January 2004.

Tigers had slipped to 11th place in the Premiership table in the absence of so many World Cup figureheads at the start of the season and had risen only as far as ninth by New Year.

But then a team including 11 internationals were on the receiving end of a 33-0 beating at Ravenhill in Belfast, the club’s heaviest defeat in any competition for several years and described in the club’s official

Connacht April 2021

Nearly 25 years on from a first European Cup encounter with the Irish and with just one previous meeting in a 2005 pre-season fixture,

History Book as “their worst day in Europe”. In galeforce conditions, Tigers conceded four tries and could do nothing to reverse the trend with the elements at their backs in the second half.

Dean Richards, a cult hero with 23 years of service to the club as player and director of rugby, faced questions about his future.

Just a week later. Tigers won the return fixture 49-7 with tries from Leon Lloyd (2), Neil Back, Jaco van der Westhuyzen and Martin Johnson who then announced his intention to retire from international rugby in front of the massed media back on home soil.

Neither Tigers nor Ulster got through the pool which was topped by a Stade Francais team who won home and away against Leicester, but the shockwaves reverberated for a while after the Ravenhill defeat. Richards finally departed at the start of the following month and Tigers had to go through a Wild Card play-off at the end of the campaign to preserve their record of Heineken Cup qualification.

Tigers and Connacht finally come together to run out at Mattioli Woods Welford Road for the first time in their competitive history in a Round of 16 game in a European Challenge Cup tournament which has been reshaped twice this season in the face of the Covid pandemic.

Proud to support Leicester Tigers

DAVID HAYE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30

SIMON WESTON MONDAY, MAY 24

LEICESTER TIGERS

BUSINESS CLUB

SPONSORED BY MATTIOLI WOODS Leicester Tigers’ Business Club is back at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, giving you the opportunity to connect with local and national businesses.

Sponsored by Mattioli Woods, the Business Club has two remaining in-person networking lunches.

Our first in-person event kicks off on Monday, May 24 with guest speaker Simon Weston starting at 12.00pm.

The following Business Club will take place on Wednesday, June 30 with guest speaker David Haye starting at 12.00pm.

A Business Club membership includes: • One place at each of the remaining two networking lunch events • Two-course meal for each lunch event • Member option to invite up to two new business introduction guests for each event • Networking opportunities at every event • Listing on the Business Club event page • Priority booking for other club events

Membership Price

£100pp + VAT

Sponsored By

To book your place, call our team on 0116 217 1215 or email sales@tigers.co.uk www.leicestertigers.com/businessclub

34

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

CLUB NEWS EXTRA

Moment to savour “The best game I have ever been involved in,” is how Austin Healey describes the 2001 Heineken Cup Final.

Players, fans and club officials alike, everyone has their own vivid memories of that incredible day in Paris when Tigers took on Stade Francais in their own backyard and came through to victory to lift the Heineken Cup as champions of Europe.

This is the 20th anniversary season of that win and a special dinner marking the Tigers’ first European title is being hosted at Mattioli Woods Welford Road to honour the occasion and those involved in it.

Originally scheduled for May, the event has now been moved to Friday, June 25 to allow guests to attend in line with the government’s four-step roadmap out of Covid-19 and tickets are available to book now.

“Speak to guys like Martin Johnson and Neil Back, and they’ll say it is the second-most important game they ever played in and they’ve been to a World Cup Final,” says Healey who made

the decisive break to set up Leon Lloyd’s second try of the afternoon in the Parc des Princes.

“That gives you a feeling of the magnitude of the event.”

Along with the emotion and the on-field action, the level of support is a major memory for anyone involved in Paris.

Austin says: “The culmination of a hot, sunny day in Paris in front of thousands and thousands of Leicester Tigers fans is a memory that will last for the rest of our lives.”

Players past and present will be involved in bringing those memories back to life at the anniversary dinner, featuring a three-course meal and, of course, a chat with the stars.

The event is hosted in partnership with Switch the Play Foundation, a charity founded by Heineken Cup hero Leon Lloyd and dedicated to supporting all sportspeople to successfully transition into life outside of sport.

Tickets are available now. See the Tigers website for details.

36

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

SEASON SO FAR

Review of standings after 15 rounds of Gallagher Premiership action...

Eleven of the Gallagher Premiership clubs are in European action this weekend - with only Worcester Warriors missing out - with the next round of league action scheduled for a fortnight’s time.

There are still seven rounds to play between April 16 and June 12, with the added incentive that some crowds may return before the end of the regular season.

Bristol Bears have a 12-point lead in top spot but then there is little to separate each team from their rivals all the way down the table, setting up an intriguing final quarter to the season.

SEASONAL BESTS 2020-21 Most points in a home game Harlequins 59-24 Gloucester Most points in an away game Worcester 14-62 Northampton Most aggregate points in game Bath 44-52 Wasps Biggest home win Bristol 48-3 Bath Biggest away win Worcester 14-62 Northampton

LEADING TRY SCORERS Sam Simmonds Alex Dombrandt Danny Care Siva Naulago Tom Dunn Piers O’Conor

Exeter Chiefs Harlequins Harlequins Bristol Bears Bath Rugby Bristol Bears

14 8 7 7 6 6

LEADING POINTS SCORERS Marcus Smith AJ MacGinty Paddy Jackson Rhys Priestland Zack Henry Joe Simmonds

Harlequins Sale Sharks London Irish Bath Rugby Leicester Tigers Exeter Chiefs

186 130 127 112 84 78

DISCIPLINE

Y R Bath 12 2 Bristol 5 Exeter 7 1 Gloucester 12 3 Harlequins 8 1 Leicester 13 2 London Irish 6 2 Newcastle 5 Northampton 6 Sale Sharks 15 Wasps 8 1 Worcester 8 1

ROUND 16 FIXTURES FRIDAY, APRIL 16 Northampton Saints v London Irish (7.45pm) Sale Sharks v Gloucester Rugby (8.00pm) SATURDAY, APRIL 17 Newcastle Falcons v Bristol Bears (2.00pm) Harlequins v Worcester Warriors (3.00pm) Exeter Chiefs v Wasps (3.00pm) SUNDAY, APRIL 18 Bath Rugby v Leicester Tigers (3.00pm)

Pld

W

D

L

T

F

A

1

Bristol Bears

15

12

1

2

51

398

270

61

2

Exeter Chiefs

15

10

0

5

54

366

261

49

GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP TABLE

Pts

3

Sale Sharks

15

10

0

5

37

341

273

46

4

Harlequins

15

8

1

6

51

441

332

45

5

Northampton Saints

15

8

0

7

38

305

280

41

6

London Irish

15

6

2

7

33

289

310

40

7

Leicester Tigers

15

8

0

7

34

316

319

37

8

Bath Rugby

15

7

0

8

40

341

413

36

9

Wasps

15

6

0

9

39

323

381

31

10

Newcastle Falcons

15

6

0

9

28

221

264

30

11

Gloucester Rugby

15

4

0

11

39

325

395

25

12

Worcester Warriors

15

3

0

12

25

208

376

18

Winner:

The Best University Careers and Employability Service

National Undergraduate Employability Awards, 2021

DMU Tigers ad - 148x210mm.indd 1

24/03/2021 17:02

39

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

Andrea Pinchen

FROM THE BOARDROOM Tigers chief executive officer Andrea Pinchen champions some of her female colleagues at the club in celebration of both Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day.

I was recently interviewed by the Premiership Rugby team as part of a series of articles and interviews shining a light on key female figures in the game.

So I wanted to use my programme notes this week to showcase some of my amazing women colleagues working at the club.

Cheryl, Rowena and Emilia all work in differing roles with a mix of experience and I caught up with them to hear a little more about why they love working at the home of Leicester Tigers.

Rowena Myrans

Emilia Higgins

Cheryl Hill

Physiotherapist

Marketing Executive

Groundstaff

“I’ve been a physio for almost a decade and have had the opportunity to work in various sports around the world, including Asia and Europe.

“I joined the Tigers medical team in 2018, which is responsible for providing medical cover to our players throughout their training week as well as on matchdays home and away, and rehabbing our injured players.

“It’s great to be part of the team at Tigers and to be able to contribute to enabling players to perform at the weekend.”

“In July 2019, a month after graduating from the University of Strathclyde, I joined Tigers as the Marketing Executive. During my first eight months, my role was focused on developing and co-ordinating a programme of external events and promotional activities.

“This also includes driving the Junior Tigers Club and also creating our matchday buzz with pre-match and postmatch entertainment and specific themed days. In July 2020, my role shifted over to taking the lead on the retail marketing.

“Matchdays are undoubtedly my favourite part of the job and I can’t wait to have the Tigers family back at Mattioli Woods Welford Road soon.”

“I used to work for Leicester Council, working across sports grounds, and left to join Tigers over 30 years ago and have been here ever since.

“I couldn’t work indoors, I’m an outdoors person. We operate across three rugby pitches at Oval Park training ground, as well as a 3G surface with the dome and the stadium pitch.

“The weather can always prove a challenge with rugby being a winter sport, as we battle the elements.

But looking at what the grounds team and I have achieved at the end of each day is very rewarding, and I love working within our team.”

RUGBY CAMPS

BRINGING YOU THE BEST IN RUGBY COACHING

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LEICESTER TIGERS RUGBY CAMPS ARE COMING TO BROOKSBY MELTON COLLEGE VENUE: Brooksby Melton College, LE14 2LJ U15 & U18 GIRLS CAMP: U13 – U16 BOYS CAMP: 2pm - 4pm 2pm - 4pm Date: April 6 – 9, 2021 Date: April 6 – 9, 2021 Price: £25 for one day or £80 for full camp

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WHAT’S INCLUDED: The best in rugby coaching and a Tigers’ rugby camp t-shirt & rugby ball* * rugby ball for full camp attendees only

For more information or to book your place www.leicestertigers.com/rugbycamps | 0116 319 8888 (option 2)

42

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

CLUB PARTNERS

Welcome and thank you to all of our partners for the 2020-21 season...

MAIN PARTNER

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

OFFICIAL PAR TNERS

A S S O C I AT E P A R T N E R S

OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS

TE AM TECHNICAL SUPPLIER

43

44

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

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

45

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

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

ACADEMY GRADUATE

S P O N S O R E D BY:

S P O N S O R E D BY:

S P O N S O R E D BY:

JORDAN COGHLAN

DAN COLE

LUAN DE BRUIN

Position:

JOAQUIN DIAZ BONILLA

Back row

Position: Prop

Position: Prop

Position: Fly-half

Born: 30/10/92

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:

S P O N S O R E D BY:

46

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

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

NIC DOLLY

GEORGE FORD

ELLIS GENGE

CALUM GREEN

Position: Hooker

Position: Fly-half

Position: Prop

Position: Lock

Born: 11/06/99

Born: 16/03/93

Born: 16/02/95

Born: 15/07/90

Height:

1.83m/6ft 0in

Height:

1.78m/5ft 10in

Height:

1.86m/6ft 1in

Height:

1.93m/6ft 4in

Weight:

98kg/15st 6lb

Weight:

86kg/13st 7lb

Weight:

117kg/18st 6lb

Weight:

119kg/18st 12lb

Honours: England

Honours: England ACADEMY GRADUATE

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

S P O N S O R E D BY:

S P O N S O R E D BY:

ZACK HENRY

JOE HEYES

WILL HURD

JAKE KERR

Position: Fly-half

Position: Prop

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

47

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

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:

DARRYL MARFO

JOHNNY McPHILLIPS

JULIÁN MONTOYA

MATIAS MORONI

Position: Prop

Position: Fly-half/Centre/Full-back

Position: Hooker

Position: Centre/Wing

Born: 01/11/90

Born: 13/03/97

Born: 29/10/93

Born: 10/07/91

Height:

1.85m/6ft 1in

Height:

1.80m/5ft 11in

Height:

1.83m/6ft 0in

Height:

1.83m/6ft 0in

Weight:

112kg/17st 9lb

Weight:

89kg/14st 0lb

Weight:

113kg/17st 11lb

Weight:

83kg/13st 5lb

Honours: Scotland

Honours: Argentina

Honours: Argentina

48

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

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:

49

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

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:

50

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

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

Honours: England/Lions

ACADEMY GRADUATE

ACADEMY GRADUATE

S P O N S O R E D BY:

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 CONNACHT RUGBY

51

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

52

D

T

C

P

D Pos

FORD

P

ENEVER

C

DIAZ BONILLA

T

DE BRUIN

DEFENCE

Result

COLE

HT

COGHLAN

ATTACK Att

CLARE

Opponents

CHESSUM

v

BRINK

Date Comp

BOWER

SEASON STATS 2020-21

ASPLAND-ROBINSON

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

NOVEMBER 2020 Sat 21

GPR

H

Gloucester Rugby

-

22-08

● 38-15

4

3

4

-

2

1

1

-

2

Sun 29

GPR

A

London Irish (Sun 4.15)

-

03-13

● 09-22

-

-

3

-

1

1

5

-

6

5

5 6

DECEMBER 2020 Sat 5

GPR

H

Exeter Chiefs

-

08-22

● 13-35

1

1

2

-

5

5

-

-

8

Fri 11

ECC

H

Brive (Fri 7:45)

-

14-06

● 39-17

4

2

5

-

1

-

4

-

4

Sat 19

ECC

A

Bayonne (8pm)

-

17-13

● 28-20

3

2

3

-

2

2

2

-

4

Sat 26

GPR

A

Newcastle Falcons (2pm)

-

-

C-C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

5

9

10

JANUARY 2021 Sun 3

GPR

H

Bath Rugby (Sun 3pm)

-

14-06

● 36-31

3

3

5

-

3

2

4

-

7

Sat 9

GPR

A

Northampton Saints (4.30pm)

-

-

C-C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Fri 15

ECC

H

Bayonne (7:45pm)

-

-

C-C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

W/O 22

ECC

A

Brive

-

-

C-C

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Fri 29

GPR

H

Sale Sharks (7:45pm)

-

08-10

● 15-25

2

1

1

-

3

2

2

-

9

8

21

FEBRUARY 2021 Sat 6

GPR

H

Worcester Warriors

-

13-03

● 36-31

5

5

2

-

3

3

1

-

Sat 13

GPR

A

Harlequins (4.00pm)

-

17-30

● 24-37

3

3

1

-

4

4

3

-

8

Sat 20

GPR

H

Wasps

-

14-03

● 27-08

3

-

4

-

1

-

1

-

8

Sat 27

GPR

A

Bristol Bears

-

03-14

● 03-17

-

-

1

-

2

2

1

-

9

5

3

MARCH 2021 Fri 5

GPR

H

London Irish (7:45pm)

-

14-03

● 27-08

3

3

4

-

4

2

2

-

8

Sat 13

GPR

A

Gloucester Rugby

-

15-07

● 20-14

3

1

1

-

2

2

-

-

7

5

Sat 20

GPR

A

Exeter Chiefs

-

12-28

● 31-47

5

3

-

-

7

6

-

-

8

5

Sun 28

GPR

H

Newcastle Falcons

-

16-00

● 26-12

2

2

4

-

2

1

-

-

7

5

H

Connacht Rugby (8pm)

TOTAL

25 20 26 0 24 20 22 0

APRIL 2021 Sat 3

ECC

W/O 9

ECC

Sun 18

GPR

A

Bath Rugby

Sat 24

GPR

H

Northampton Saints

W/O 30

ECC

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

May 2021 W/O 7

GPR

A

Sale Sharks

W/O 14

GPR

H

Harlequins

Fri 21

ECC

W/O 28

GPR

A

Worcester Warriors

Final

JUNE 2021 W/O 4

GPR

H

Bristol Bears

W/O 12

GPR

A

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

16

1 5

13

5

2

6

Started match 5

3

13

5

9

12

5

16 5

0

2

5

4

Used as a replacement 5

5

5

5

5

Bench (not used)

13

5 5

5

5

10

5

5

5

10

5 5

5

Points scored in a match

3 5 5

8

5 5 5

5

5

5 5

5

5 5

PENALTY TRY

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

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

MARFO

McPHILLIPS

LIEBENBERG

LEWIS

LEATIGAGA

LAVANINI

KERR

KELLY

HEYES

HENRY

HENDERSON

GREEN

GIGENA

GENGE

FORD

53

54

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

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 Nic DOLLY Blake ENEVER George FORD Ellis GENGE Facundo GIGENA Calum GREEN Cameron HENDERSON Zack HENRY Joe HEYES Dan KELLY Jake KERR Tomás LAVANINI Henri LAVIN Jonny LAW Nephi LEATIGAGA Sam LEWIS Hanro LIEBENBERG Darryl MARFO Johnny McPHILLIPS

APPS 1+2 8+4 2+2 2+9 10+3 6+3 2+3 0+1 2+1 2+1 1 11+2 3+2 11 5+10 5+3 0+2 8+2 5+8 12 0+8

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

PTS 10 5 15 23 47 5 5 97 10 5 10 13

APPS 8+6 4+9 8+4 5+2 6+18 7+4 196+59 6+3 2+3 4+2 83+16 60+20 16+29 43+11 5+5 16+3 24+37 7+4 15+31 25+4 0+1 0+2 9+33 10+11 25+2 2+14

TIGERS TOTAL TRIES 2 1 4 1 3 8 7 1 1 3 2 2 1 1 2 3 1

PTS 10 5 20 5 15 23 947 35 5 5 15 128 10 10 5 5 10 15 40

55

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

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+3 3+1 9 7+3 4 6+3 3+1 8+4 10 2+1 13 2+2 6 3+8 10 0+5 10+5 0+3 2+6 9 9 1+1 10+3

STATS 2020-21 TRIES 1 3 2 2 3 1 1 2 2 2 3 1 1 4

PTS 5 15 10 10 15 5 5 10 10 10 15 5 5 20

APPS 4+4 3+1 9 10+3 9 30+11 10+4 8+2 25+15 16 10+15 5+5 21+4 11+7 16+2 6+10 11 5+8 60+54 0+3 27+43 9 9 3+1 41+21 203+51 164+43

TIGERS TOTAL TRIES 1 3 2 4 6 2 6 2 2 3 3 2 2 1 5 6 3 1 1 3 38 21

PTS 5 15 10 20 30 10 30 10 10 18 15 10 10 5 25 30 15 5 5 25 210 110

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57

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

– LAST TIME OUT – LEICESTER TIGERS 26-12 NEWCASTLE FALCONS Sunday March 28 2021 / Gallagher Premiership Round 15 Attendance: Closed doors / Referee: Mr Karl Dickson LEICESTER TIGERS 15 Freddie Steward 14 Harry Potter 13 Matías Moroni 12 Dan Kelly 11 Kini Murimurivalu 10 George Ford 2C / 4P 9 Richard Wigglesworth

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Ellis Genge Tom Youngs Dan Cole Harry Wells Calum Green Hanro Liebenberg Tommy Reffell Jasper Wiese

Tigers recorded an eighth win of the league season with tries from Hanro Liebenberg and Charlie Clare, plus 16 points from the boot of fly-half George Ford.

Victory was built on 16 unanswered points and territorial dominance in the first half, with Liebenberg driving over the line following a typical charge from fellow back-rower Jasper Wiese.

Dan Kelly produced a trysaving tackle on Ben Stevenson as the Newcastle wing dived for the corner, before Tigers pressure produced opportunities for Ford to keep the scoreboard ticking with three penalties before halftime, the last of which followed a yellow card for Falcons lock Darren Barry.

But Falcons enjoyed more possession and opportunities in the second half, as penalties mounted up in their favour before Will Welch got their first try.

Ford responded with a longrange penalty to make it 19-7 and Tigers had a Freddie Steward score disallowed before Clare finished off the pack’s drive for the line.

Newcastle added their second try straight from kick-off, with

T

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Charlie Clare Luan de Bruin Joe Heyes Cameron Henderson George Martin Jack van Poortvliet Johnny McPhillips Guy Porter

scrum-half Sam Stuart using a tap penalty to dart over the line.

NOTEBOOK… Ford, Genge and Martin back from England… Wiese back from ban… Van Wyk suspended…

10th hooker try of the season…

Harry Potter’s first start since Round 2… Yellow cards for Wiese and Martin.

T

NEWCASTLE: Tait, Wacokecoke, Lucock, Burrell, Stevenson, Hodgson, Schreuder; Brocklebank, Blamire, Welsh, Barry, Robinson, Welch, Wilson (c), Chick. Reps: McGuigan, Cooper, Tampin, Collett, Van der Walt, Stuart, Connon, Passman.

QUOTE...

“It was a bit scrappy but you have to deal with different situations to get the win. At times we weren’t at our best but we still got the points.”

Calum Green

Proud sponsors of the Junior Tigers Club

Sign-up to be part of the Junior Tigers Club for free by visiting www.leicestertigers.com/jtc

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

59

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

Welcome to today’s virtual matchday mascot, Arthur, and thank you for your support of the team. Although you can’t be inside the stadium for the game, we know you’ll be right behind the team today and 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. Who did Tigers beat in the Gallagher Premiership last weekend?

2. Who captained Tigers for the first time in the game at Exeter two weeks ago?

3. Which country does Tomás Lavanini represent in Test rugby?

4. Which team topped the Six Nations Championship this season?

5. Which French team visited Mattioli Woods Welford Road earlier this season?

Did you know?

Fly-half Johnny McPhillips made his professional rugby debut against today’s opponents Connacht as a 19-year-old when he was at Ulster.

Picture puzzle Who is the Tigers front-rower hitting this tackle bag?

Answers: 5 to tackle: 1 Newcastle Falcons, 2 Hanro Liebenberg, 3 Argentina, 4 Wales, 2 5 Brive. Picture Puzzle: Joe Heyes

Two significant accolades have already headed to TOP 14 clubs this season, with Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse) and Alivereti Raka (ASM Clermont Auvergne) landing Champions Try of the Round for the two December weekends.

South African Kolbe displayed exquisite footwork and impressive speed with the first of his two tries in the opening round win for the four-time winners away to Ulster Rugby, earning the praise of beIN SPORTS’ Rodolphe Pires as well as approval via the fan vote on HeinekenChampionsCup.com.

One week later, BT Sport’s Ugo Monye joined forces with the public to give Raka the nod for his scintillating score in Clermont’s defeat to Munster Rugby at Stade Marcel-Michelin.

For the fifth consecutive season, the Champions Try of the Round activation is launched on the Monday after each match round, with Try of the Season opening immediately after Finals Weekend.

Juan Imhoff won the annual award in 2019/20 for his critical score in the semi-final win for Racing 92 over Saracens. Previous tries of the season had been scored by Nick Abendanon (2016/17), Tadhg Beirne (2017/18) and Maxime Médard (2018/19).

Enjoy some high-calibre rugby and HAVE YOUR SAY in the winner!

EP C RUGBY.COM / TOT R

61

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

Cyle Brink emerged as scorer from a forward drive

The Tigers’ last home game in Europe - against Brive before Christmas provided a curiosity for the historians and statisticians.

You may recall that Tigers won the game, with a bonuspoint score from Nemani Nadolo just before the final whistle wrapping up an entertaining 39-17 victory against French rivals making a first-ever trip to Leicester.

The game was poised at 14-6 at half-time, with Tom Youngs providing the Tigers try and fly-halves Joaquin Diaz Bonilla and Enzo Herve trading early penalties.

But Tigers pulled away in the second half with replacement George Ford taking over the kicking, replacement scrum-half Ben Youngs finishing a sparkling attack to score in the right-hand corner and replacement back-

rower Cyle Brink scoring for the first time for the club before the late Nadolo touchdown.

Tigers statistician Stuart Farmer consulted the record books to confirm that the 20-point haul from the bench had been equalled once and beaten just once in the club’s history.

The previous 20-pointer was also in Europe, back in September 1997.

On that occasion, in only the club’s second season of Heineken Cup rugby, the 47-22 victory over Leinster in the pool stages included tries from Will Greenwood and Graham Rowntree in the last 10 minutes of the game after starting on the bench, and fellow replacement Waisale Serevi kicking two conversions and two penalties.

But the biggest-ever contribution from the bench was

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

in a Cup game against Otley in November 2000.

A fourth-round fixture, which Tigers won 83-11 against lower-league opponents, featured tries from Will Johnson and JP O’Reilly after starting among the replacements and a second-half hat-trick from Perry Freshwater who was back-up to starting front-rowers Derek Jelley and Ricky Nebbutt.

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63

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

LEICESTER TIGERS

COMMUNITY TEAM SUPPORTING TIGERS’ COMMUNITY PROGRAMME

Good luck to all of the players and coaches who are returning to their local clubs in the first step towards getting back into playing. We hope your preparations are going well and we look forward to catching up with you all soon!

At Tigers, we have an exciting week in prospect with the first Tigers Rugby Camp for more than a year ready to roll at Brooksby Melton College on TuesdayFriday, April 6-9.

In step with the latest guidelines from the government and RFU, Tigers are hosting a series of two-hour coaching sessions over four days of the school holiday to get mini and junior players back on the grass, active and reintroduced to the game in a safe and progressive manner.

Based at the outstanding rugby-specific facilities of Brooksby Melton College, home of the Tigers’ ACE and Development rugby programmes, the sessions are for boys and girls across the age groups: Mornings Under-9 to Under-12 Afternoons Under-13-16 boys Afternoons Under 13, Under-15 & Under-18 girls Book for all four days or single days. Players who attend for up to three days also receive a Tigers Rugby Camp T-shirt, with four-day bookings receiving a Tigers Rugby Ball as an additional bonus.

Places are available to book on the club website now or telephone the Tigers ticket office on 0116 319 8888 (option 2) or email tickets@tigers.co.uk Brooksby is on the Leicester to Melton Mowbray road (A607), just a five-minute drive from the A46 ring road on the outskirts of the city.

Safety and enjoyment are our primary concerns and we will be taking all of the necessary precautions to ensure that Tigers can deliver a positive reintroduction to rugby, while also minimising any risks associated with Covid.

We are also looking at a Tigers Rugby Camps programme for the summer period and look forward to confirming these soon.

64

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

LEICESTER TIGERS

FOUNDATION NEWS

The Leicester Tigers Foundation team have been back in schools, making visits across Leicester and Leicestershire as part of the Inside Sport programme to deliver tag rugby lessons and well-being workshops.

As an example of their work, inclusion officer Anthony O’Reilly and coach core assistant Tiana Patino led two age groups at one school through a tag rugby session which got the children active in a fun way, while also helping to introduce everyone to the game of rugby.

Pupils also discussed a number of topics in an interactive workshop including social media and well-being.

The groups took part in an interactive session where they learnt about the positives and negatives of social media in society, alongside how to look after their physical and mental well-being.

Using examples from the ‘lockdown’ period, youngsters shared their experiences of social media as well as ways they had kept ‘active’ over the last year.

The Foundation’s Inside Sport programme encourages schools to team up with the Tigers to help engage and provide fun, interactive experiences as part of their curriculum.

This set of Inside Sport delivery also teamed up with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire to tackle issues around a rise in violence affecting children during the winter months. The sessions sought to explain potential risks faced by young people, challenging issues such as social media, exploitation and E-safety.

Sam Swift, Foundation manager at Leicester Tigers, said: “With lockdown starting to ease, the Leicester Tigers Foundation is in a really exciting position. This month has seen us welcome back students and schools to the stadium, through the Inside Sport and Dynamite programmes.

“We are now back coordinating some exciting new initiatives which we hope to be able to unveil in the near future.”

For more details of what the Foundation can do to support your school, please email sam.swift@tigers.co.uk

Tigers v Newcastle - Diane_Layout 1 18/03/2021 09:50 Page 1

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67

LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

Tigers History

APR

ON THIS DAY 1893: Leicester beat Broughton Rangers 5-0 just 24 hours before a 6-4 victory over York.

1897: Harry Wilkinson took his season’s try

tally to 19 with two in a 9-0 win over Nuneaton.

3

1965: Graham Willars, in his second senior season, scored in a 17-13 win over Birkenhead Park.

1971: Peter Nicholls scored two of the tries in

1899: In the 41st of a 44-game season, Tigers lost 3-0 at home to Pontypridd.

a 23-11 win over Birkenhead Park on the day that former captain Mike Harrison made the last of his 210 appearances.

1909: Tigers lifted the Midland Counties Cup on their return from a three-year absence with an 8-3 victory over Coventry in the Final. Percy Lawrie scored two tries.

1972: Nick Joyce, Dave Shaw and David Pickering all scored their first tries for the club in a 30-12 win over Fylde.

1919: South African Forces beat Tigers 6-4

during a post-war season in which all 18 games were hosted at Welford Road.

1920: Tigers lost 13-9 at Bristol despite two

tries from Welsh centre William Watts.

1923: In the second of three games in three

days, Tigers drew 8-8 at Aberavon. The had previously lost at Llanelly, and a day later lost at Bath. Norman Coates, Teddy Haselmere, Claude Sambrook and Herb Sharratt played in all three games.

1926: Paddy Bernard scored a try in defeat at

Bristol in his only club appearance.

1934: Eleven players doubled up in games on successive days as Tigers won 15-10 at Exeter after an 11-10 defeat at Plymouth Albion.

1937: Ken Cooke and Reginald Squibbs were the tryscorers in a 21-11 defeat at Birkenhead Park.

1956: The Easter tour ended with a 23-12 win

at Exeter, just a day after beating Plymouth Albion 11-9. Front-rower David Hazell scored in each game.

1961: A David Matthews score earned victory

at Plymouth Albion on tour.

1963: David Senior, scorer of 58 tries in 84

games, made his final appearance for the club in a midweek win at Nuneaton.

1976: Bob Barker contributed a try, two

conversions and two penalties in an 18-14 win over Birkenhead Park.

1980: Andy Goode was born in Coventry.

He made 200 appearances in two spells with Tigers, scoring 1,799 points. Goode started the 2001 Heineken Cup Final win and was part of the squad that retained the trophy a year later, as well as starting the 2007 Final. He won five league titles with the club and was player of the season in 2004-05.

1982: Chasing a place in the Final for a fifth successive year, Tigers were knocked out of the John Player Cup in the semifinal by Moseley.

1993: Dan Green landed a drop goal on his

debut as Tigers won 29-15 at Richmond with John Liley, Ian Bates and Steve Hackney the tryscorers.

1999: Tigers stayed top of the Courage League table despite a 24-16 defeat at Bath.

2010: Alesana Tuilagi finished the season with a flourish with five tries in his last 11 games, including two in a 43-20 win over Bath which kept Tigers top of the league.

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Matt Hampson

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

STANDING STRONG Foundation beneficiary Henry has a complete spinal cord injury and, as a result, has developed a severe postural scoliosis, which means he struggles to sit upright and maintain a symmetrical position.

Here he is working in standing in the Get Busy Living centre gym to stretch the right side of his body and activate muscles on the left side to improve his ability to maintain a good posture.

Looking pretty straight here amazing work Henry!

HAMBO’S AUCTION AND RAFFLE The Foundation’s Six Nations auction and raffle ended this week having raised a fantastic amount of muchneeded funding for the charity.

It has been one of our most successful fundraisers to date and will make a huge difference to the number of beneficiaries we’ll be able to support in 2021 after being closed for a good proportion of the past year.

Prizes and lots included a one-off painting of Mike Tindall’s 'Greatest of All Time Six Nations' team created by sports artist Ben Mosley and tickets to the Festival of Sport with Tigers legends Will Greenwood and Austin Healey. Thanks to everyone that supported us!

FLOOR: EVERSCAPE THIRA UK’s No 1 Tile Specialist based on £ turnover within the domestic tile sector.

98% customer satisfaction based on 5 stars (89%) or 4 stars (9%) in our Tile Talk survey – 18,853 respondents, date range 27/11/2019-25/07/2020. *T&Cs Apply.

2016

2017

2018

The expanded knockout stages of both the Heineken Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup are critical, with clubs having no margin for error in their quest for glory. These two April rounds will also go a long way towards defining the list of 15 nominees for EPCR European Player of the Year, which will be announced after the quarterfinal matches.

Sam Simmonds won the Anthony Foley Memorial Trophy last season as Europe’s standout player. The Exeter Chiefs star dotted down for his eighth try of the campaign in the thrilling final victory over Racing 92 to seal the prestigious accolade and he was in no mood to let up on that form when he got 2020/21 off to a flying start with a try against Glasgow in Round 1 at Sandy Park.

More than 20,000 votes were cast last season through HeinekenChampionsCup.com and the opinions of the fans will again be canvassed this time, combined with the expertise of a prominent panel of pundits working on the tournaments who will deliberate until the conclusion of Finals Weekend to determine the winner.

The 15 nominated stars of the global game will then be trimmed down to just five candidates after the semi-finals, at the start of May.

2019

2020 EPCR European Player of the Year Past Winners

1995-2010 Ronan O’Gara 2011 Sean O’Brien 2012 Rob Kearney 2013 Jonny Wilkinson 2014 Steffon Armitage 2015 Nick Abendanon 2016 Maro Itoje 2017 Owen Farrell 2018 Leone Nakarawa 2019 Alex Goode 2020 Sam Simmonds

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LEICESTER TIGERS v CONNACHT RUGBY

FanZone LEICESTER TIGERs

VERSUS

CONNACHT RUGBY

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP SAT U R DAY, A P R I L 3, 2 0 2 1 K I C K- O F F 8.0 0 P M

PROGRAMME CREDITS Cover star: George Ford 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

Spot the Difference…

Thanks to Dan Kelly for sharing these images on his social media - from the starstruck young fan collecting autographs and photos at an England camp to playing alongside George Ford in a win in our last home game. It’s already been quite a journey!

BIRTHDAY WISHES

Happy birthday to our season ticket holders celebrating today...

• Keith Allan • David Annas • Michael Bailey • Alex Baker • Stuart Bates • James Best • Sue Brown • Andrew Byrne • Steffan Davies

• Craig Driver • Paul Driver • Kenneth Ducker • Nick Dudley • Carole Harrison • Hilary James • Mark Kellett • Annette King • Roy Ludden

• Molly Merryfield • John Mulligan • Rob Osborn • Helen Rhodes • Ian Sawyer • Mike Skipper • Adam Slater • Peter Smith • Craig Stephens

• Julia Stone • Alan Tuckett • Zoe Tur-Ribas • Jean Voller • Steve Walker • Sherree Westley • Kate Woodford • Andrew Woods • Fiona Yarwood

M

Y

Y

Y

Challenge Cup_Portrait_176x246mm_170x240mm_5mm Bleed_UK.pdf

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OFFICIAL TIMEKEEPER

TISSOT supersport chrono.

T I S S OT WATC H E S . C O M