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Tigers thirteen all white with England

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We appreciate there is an element of 'double-edged sword' when players are named in their national squads, but The Tig is delighted to see 13 of the Tigers' finest in the England line-up named this week.

First things first, the call-up is the reward for fine form, particularly in the second half of last season and, in many cases, on England’s summer tour to South Africa.

Every single one of the Tigers men named in the Elite and Saxons squad fully deserves the call, mainly for the part they played in the run to the Aviva Premiership Final last May.

Toby Flood, Dan Cole, Geoff Parling, Manu Tuilagi and Tom Croft are key men for club and country, Thomas Waldrom has shown he can play Test rugby and Ben Youngs was as influential as anyone in South Africa.

There is smart money on Graham Kitchener and Tom Youngs making a big impression in the next few months and they both did themselves no harm on the summer tour.

Anthony Allen was rewarded for consistently good performances in a club shirt with a place on the summer tour and he did not look out of place. In fact, if Sky Sports commentators are anything to go by (okay, I know!) then he played a key role there in the midweek side.

The Tig has always been a big fan of Louis Deacon and thought the big man was in some of his best form before the injury suffered in the bonus-point win at Worcester. Missing the run-in has cost him a place in the senior squad but Deacs has a place in the Saxons and can force his way back in, as he has done in the past.

New arrival Miles Benjamin has retained his place in the Saxons, and we all know how highly rated George Ford is as a teenager who started a Premiership Final in the key decision-making role at fly-half and has now made it to England’s second string.

Credit to every one of them. The Tig looks forward to seeing them starring for Tigers, making their mark internationally and, of course, returning safely ‘home’.

England expects.