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Cockerill to make Welford Road return as Tigers set to face Black Lion
By Josh Raisey
Richard Cockerill is set to make his return to Welford Road in May as his Black Lion side are set to take on Leicester Tigers.
Following Leicester's exit from the Investec Champions Cup on Saturday at the hands of Leinster, the Gallagher Premiership outfit have a weekend free in May (which would have been the semi-finals), which they have filled with a clash between the Black Lion and a Leicester Tigers XV on Friday May 3.
The match will see Cockerill, now the coach of the Georgia national team and the Black Lion, return to Welford Road after years of success in the East Midlands as both a player and a coach.
Looking ahead to the fixture, he said: “I’m really looking forward to bringing a Georgian team back to my old stomping ground.”
“Leicester has been a huge part of my life in rugby and many of my fondest memories, as both a player and a coach, involve games played at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, which has a unique atmosphere and history.
“This fixture is a fantastic opportunity for the Black Lion to take on one of Europe’s finest clubs after the successful first outing in the EPCR Challenge Cup. I can’t wait to introduce the Mattioli Woods Welford Road faithful to Georgian rugby and for the Black Lion squad to get a taste of the Leicester experience.”
Cockerill's counterpart Dan McKellar added: “We’re pleased to be able to add an additional home game to our program and excited to welcome Georgia Black Lion to Mattioli Woods Welford Road.”
“Developing our squad and club coaches and staff is critical and this game will give them an opportunity to play a quality opposition at our home ground.”
The match will come before Leicester Tigers' final two matches of the regular Premiership season against Sale Sharks and Exeter Chiefs.
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Latest Comments
No because if it was a 1:1 correspondence it would have been 10 top14, 3 URC and 3 Prem. I did arbitrarily put a max limit per league at 8 because for me if half of the teams are from the top14 it will make no sense. I genuinely didn't think the discussion will go that way tbh as for me it is a details.
Go to commentsFoster should never have been appointed, and I never liked him as a coach, but the hysteria over his coaching and Sam Cane as a player was grounded in prejudice rather than fact.
The New Zealand Rugby public were blinded by their dislike of Foster to the point of idiocy.
Anything the All Blacks did that was good was attributed to Ryan and Schmidt and Fozzie had nothing to do with it.
Any losses were solely blamed on Foster and Cane.
Foster did develop new talent and kept all the main trophies except the World Cup.
His successor kept the core of his team as well as picking Cane despite him leaving for overseas because he saw the irreplaceable value in him.
Razor will take the ABs to the next level, I have full confidence in that.
He should have been appointed in 2020.
But he wasn’t. And the guy who was has never been treated fairly.
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