Team News | Leicester Tigers side to play Ospreys Rugby

Richard Wigglesworth has named the Leicester Tigers matchday squad to play Ospreys Rugby in Round 4 of the 2022/23 Heineken Champions Cup pool stages.

Club captain Hanro Liebenberg returns to lead the side on Friday night at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, with Dan Cole and Jack van Poortvliet named vice-captains.

Cole also returns to the matchday squad after missing the Round 3 away win over ASM Clermont Auvergne and van Poortvliet starts after featuring off the bench in last Friday’s victory in France.

Up front, Cole is named alongside fellow prop James Whitcombe and Charlie Clare in the starting front-row.

Ollie Chessum, who started the last round in the back-row, shifts to lock to partner Cameron Henderson in the second-row.

Liebenberg and Tommy Reffell are the flankers and Olly Cracknell, who came off the bench in Clermont, is promoted to No.8 in the starting pack.

In his first appearance at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, Handré Pollard is named with van Poortvliet as the half-back pairing.

Dan Kelly and Matt Scott make up the midfield, while Harry Simmons and Harry Potter are the wings and Freddie Steward returns to full-back.

The match will be the 50th starting appearance for Potter.

On the Leicester Tigers bench, Julián Montoya is included for the first time in more than a month and Dan Richardson is in line for his European debut.

Will Hurd, Harry Wells and Sean Jansen are the remaining forwards, while Ben Youngs, Jimmy Gopperth and Charlie Atkinson are the replacements backs.

Youngs, if used, will become the club’s most-capped player in Heineken Champions Cup rugby after equalling Geordan Murphy’s record of 74 appearances in Europe’s top-tier competition in the last round.

STARTING XV
15 Freddie Steward [66]
14 Harry Potter [55]
13 Matt Scott [56]
12 Dan Kelly [50]
11 Harry Simmons [28]
10 Handré Pollard [3]
9 Jack van Poortvliet (vc) [59]
1 James Whitcombe [33]
2 Charlie Clare [67]
3 Dan Cole (vc) [303]
4 Ollie Chessum [42]
5 Cameron Henderson [26]
6 Hanro Liebenberg (c) [73]
7 Tommy Reffell [90]
8 Olly Cracknell [13]

REPLACEMENTS
16 Julián Montoya [32]
17 Dan Richardson [8] *
18 Will Hurd [17]
19 Harry Wells [170]
20 Sean Jansen [14]
21 Ben Youngs [293]
22 Jimmy Gopperth [8]
23 Charlie Atkinson [9]

* Heineken Champions Cup debut