Four changes for Leicester as the Tigers name side to face Falcons

Leicester Tigers have named their side for Sunday’s double-header at Mattioli Woods Welford Road with Dan McKellar making four changes to his starting XV for the round eight clash against Newcastle.

Mike Brown starts at fullback which sees Freddie Steward shift to the wing in an otherwise unchanged Tigers backline.

Francois Van Wyk and Dan Cole form the front-row with Julián Montoya who was confirmed captain for the 2023/24 season on Thursday.

Harry Wells partnering Ollie Chessum in the second-row is the final change to Tigers’ starting selection, with tighthead prop Will Hurd being the only addition to Leicester’s matchday 23.

Leicester Tigers head coach, Dan McKellar said: “We’ve earned a few results of the back of our preparation and execution and Sunday’s no different against a good Newcastle side.

“We’re fortunate to have depth in key positions at the moment so it’s important to freshen guys up and provide opportunity where we can.

“The crowd against Saints was incredible and with the double-header on Sunday I’m sure it’ll be another brilliant atmosphere.”

STARTING XV
15 Mike Brown [14]

14 Freddie Steward [75]

13 Matt Scott [69]

12 Dan Kelly [65]

11 Ollie Hassell-Collins [9]

10 Handré Pollard [18]

9 Ben Youngs [305]

1 Francois Van Wyk [39]

2 Julián Montoya (c) [45]

3 Dan Cole [313]

4 Harry Wells [182]

5 Ollie Chessum [46]

6 Hanro Liebenberg [94]

7 Tommy Reffell [104]

8 Jasper Wiese [64]

REPLACEMENTS
16 Charlie Clare [87]

17 James Whitcombe [42]

18 Will Hurd [32]

19 Sam Carter [8]

20 Matt Rogerson [9]

21 Tom Whiteley [14]

22 Jamie Shillcock [10]

23 Solomone Kata [4]

Notes:
Julián Montoya confirmed as captain for the 2023/24 season
Handré Pollard is hitting 85% of his shots at goal, the highest in the league so far
For the third consecutive weekend, Jasper Wiese made the most carries in the Premiership in Round 7 (23). He has made 66 carries in three matches.
Freddie Steward made 57 more metres than any other player in Round 7 (154). He also beat five defenders, made a round-high 35 metres in contact, and assisted two tries