Ulster Rugby vs Leicester Tigers

TONIGHT’S OPPOSITION

The only club to qualify for the European Cup in every year of English participation, quarter-finalists five times, finalists five times and back-to-back European champions in 2001 and 2002; there are few clubs able to boast a better pedigree than the Leicester Tigers.

to do on Friday. We have a huge amount of respect for Ulster and we need to make sure we are better again and see where that takes us.” While Tigers have struggled for continuity in the face of lengthy injury absences to key men including Manu Tuilagi, Geoff Parling, Dan Cole, Tom Youngs, Tom Croft and Logovi’i Mulipola, as well as club captain Ed Slater, they have never been too far away from the battle for semi-final places in their domestic Aviva Premiership campaign. Since ending a run of three successive defeats from Round 3, there have been just two Premiership defeats, while a 17-8 victory over high-flying Bath in the opening game of 2015 provided the high point so far, with hooker Youngs providing the all-important try. Boss Cockerill knows Tigers will need to call on all of their abilities and experience, as well as the resilience and determination for which they are well known, as they approach the business end of another big season for the club.

Anything less than victory in last weekend’s Pool 3 encounter with the Scarlets, however, would have spelled an immediate end to hopes of reaching the knockout stages of Europe’s elite club competition for a fourth time in the last five years. In the event, Tigers ran in six tries against an injury-hit Scarlets side, with Tom Youngs scoring two in a six-minute spell during the second half to add to scores from Miles Benjamin, Jordan Crane, Adam Thompstone and Sam Harrison. “It’s just what we needed,” said Director of Rugby Richard Cockerill, thinking not just in terms of the points available but also of the momentum that could be crucial in the second half of the season if Tigers are to be in the cleansweep on home ground in Pool 3, following a 25-18 victory over Ulster in Round 1 and a 25-21 verdict against defending champions Toulon at Welford Road in December. First-half scores from Owen Williams, Graham Kitchener and Freddie Burns set the platform for the opening-round win over Ulster and the intensity of the performance in victory over double European champions Toulon set the benchmark for the season as Brad Thorn claimed the only try alongside 20 points from fly-half Williams. Away from home, however, points have been not been as forthcoming as Tigers were beaten 15-3 at the Scarlets in October and 23-8 in the Toulon return. “The whole team had a really positive mindset to go out and play against the Scarlets,” Cockerill added. “We don’t know what will happen at the end of the pool stages, but we did what we had shake-up for honours. The win also secured a

CLUB STATS //Location Leicester //Founded 1880 //Ground Welford Road //Capacity 24,000 //Last Game Scarlets (H)40-23(W) Fri 16th January 2015 at 19.45 //Next Game Northampton Saints (H) Sat 31st January 2015 at 15.00

//Recent Form W L W L W

STAFF // Director of Rugby Richard Cockerill

//Captain Ed Slater

CONTACT Aylestone Road

Leicester LE2 7TR England

Photograph: Tiger Images

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