6'4, 149kg Nephi Leatigaga set for Leicester Tigers debut

As rugby union goes, they don't come much bigger than Nephi Leatigaga.

Leicester's giant Samoan summer signing is in line for his debut in this Saturday’s trip to face Bath Rugby in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

Standing 6'4 and weighing in at 149kg, Leatigaga is the heaviest loosehead prop playing the game professionally, and is just a few kilos lighter than the plus 150kg frames of Tongan tighthead Ben Tameifuna (151-154kg) and France's Uini Atonio (152kg).

Despite weighing the same as two Herschel Jantjies, he's also relatively little excess weight on his enormous frame. He will become the Premiership's heaviest ever player when he makes his full league debut, beating 143kg Biyi Alo by 6kg - just under a stone.

The Samoa international prop is included in the squad for the first time since his arrival and will hope to get some game time off the bench.

The 25-year-old Leatigaga has played on both sides of the front row in European rugby with Piacenza in Italy and Biarritz in France, and made his first of five Test appearances for Samoa in 2016.

Elsewhere Adam Thompstone returns from long-term injury and scrum-half Harry Simmons is also in line for his first appearance of the season after being named alongside fellow academy graduates Sam Costelow and Freddie Steward on the bench.

Experienced wing Thompstone, in his eighth season with Tigers, plays his first game of the year after recovery from a knee injury which ended his 2018/19 season early.

He is joined in the Tigers back three by Jonah Holmes and Jordan Olowofela, who both scored tries in last Friday’s Round 2 win over Exeter Chiefs at Welford Road.

George Worth and Joe Thomas team up at centre, with former England Under-20s internationals Tom Hardwick and Ben White at half-back after both appeared off the bench last week.

Tatafu Polota-Nau makes his first starting appearance of the campaign at hooker, with Harry Wells and Tommy Reffell returning to the starting pack.

Tigers defence coach Phil Blake, looking ahead to Saturday’s game, said: “We went with a younger line-up for Round 1 and more experience last weekend but now we’ve got a mix of youth and experience this week.

“It’s about getting game-time into players and also looking at the combinations throughout the team.

“There were a lot of good signs last week but Bath at The Rec is always a tough challenge.”

Leicester Tigers (v Bath Rugby, away, Saturday 3.00pm)

15 Jonah Holmes

14 Adam Thompstone

13 Joe Thomas

12 George Worth

11 Jordan Olowofela

10 Tom Hardwick

09 Ben White

01 Greg Bateman

02 Tatafu Polota-Nau

03 Joe Heyes

04 Harry Wells

05 Calum Green (c)

06 Guy Thompson

07 Tommy Reffell

08 Jordan Coghlan

Replacements

16 Jake Kerr

17 Facundo Gigena

18 Nephi Leatigaga

19 Hanro Liebenberg

20 Ifereimi Boladau

21 Harry Simmons

22 Sam Costelow

23 Freddie Steward