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Leicester Tigers set to face some familiar faces against Ealing Trailfinders
By Ian Cameron
Leicester Tigers will face some familiar faces when they take on Ealing Trailfinders in their Premiership Cup fixture with the RFU Championship's star side.
Championship heavyweights Ealing have selected a formidable lineup for the contest, with ex-Premiership stars Biyi Alo, England centre Billy Twelvetrees, Dan Lancaster, Jordy Reid, Will Goodrick-Clarke and Jonah Holmes all set to face off against the Tigers.
England veteran Twelvetrees played three seasons for Leicester between 2009 and 2012, scoring over 300 points.
Former Wales star Holmes also played for Tigers for three seasons, scoring an impressive 24 tries in 45 outings for the Welford Road-based outfit.
Elsewhere flyhalf Dan Lancaster - the son of former England coach Stuart Lancaster - signed for Ealing in 2022 having previously played five times for Leicester.
Meanwhile, Dan McKellar has named a backline laden with international players for the fixture.
Notable selections include Phil Cokanasiga and one cap England centre Dan Kelly in the midfield. Former Scotland centre Matt Scott is selected on the wing, while England veteran Mike Brown securing the fullback position.
Current EPS squad member Ollie Hassell-Collins is named on the wing, while Jamie Shillcock will steer the team from flyhalf. They will be captained by Hanro Liebenberg in his milestone 100th appearance for the club. The match also marks a first start for hooker Finn Theobold-Thomas.
Hooker Charlie Clare is returning from injury as a substitute.
LEICESTER TIGERS:
15 Mike Brown
14 Matt Scott
13 Dan Kelly
12 Phil Cokanasiga
11 Ollie Hassell-Collins
10 Jamie Shillcock
9 Tom Whiteley
1 Francois van Wyk
2 Finn Theobold-Thomas
3 Dan Richardson
4 Harry Wells
5 Kyle Hatherell
6 Hanro Liebenberg
7 Matt Rogerson
8 Olly Cracknell
REPLACEMENTS
16 Charlie Clare
17 James Whitcombe
18 Tim Hoyt
19 Sam Carter
20 Emeka Ilione
21 Sam Edwards
22 Kieran Wilkinson
23 Joseph Woodward
EALING TRAILFINDERS:
1 Will Goodrick-Clarke
2 Matt Cornish
3 Biyi Alo
4 Bobby De Wee
5 Barney Maddison
6 Rob Farrar
7 Jordy Reid
8 Rayn Smid
9 Craig Hampson
10 Dan Lancaster
11 James Cordy-Redden
12 Billy Twelvetrees
13 Reuben Bird-Tulloch
14 Jonah Holmes
15 Max Bodilly
REPLACEMENTS:
16 Mike Willemse
17 Kyle Whyte
18 Jimmy Roots
19 Andrew Davidson
20 Richard Hardwick
21 Lloyd Williams
22 Dan O’Brien
23 Will Montgomery
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Latest Comments
Cane shouldn’t have been one last year, based purely on performances. Lakai is as close to a like for like of swap of Savea you’re ever likely to find, based on his short career so far at least. He has many of the same qualities - very strong ball carrier, great at the breakdown, and an absolute work horse on defence. I feel like he and Sititi could lead the way in the loose at the next WC.
I think we have become obsessed with replacing Kaino with someone exactly like him. Kaino was a perfect foil for the other loose forwards we had at the time. Based on the talent we have around at the moment those players could be made up in the aggregate by three players who are all exception all rounders - Lakai, Sititi, and Savea. Missing some height for sure but Sititi’s defensive work in the line out last year was phenomenal. He gets off the ground so quickly and was able to steal a couple of balls off the top of the springbok line out.
If our young locks coming through can actually stay fit long enough to get selected, it seems inevitable that Va’ai could end up in a hybrid 6/lock role.
Go to commentsWas strange game, full of errors and the usual refereeing decisions. Both teams suffered as a result but Ospreys discipline was a major factor. I think this weekend will be different as the Ospreys will pick a full strength team but Scarlets will gain confidence in the fact that only Tipuric was missing in the forwards and they dominated that pack for the whole 80 minutes. If they can repeat that dominance at scrum and breakdown then the Scarlets backs will always have more to offer on the front foot.
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