He joins Tigers colleagues Toby Flood and Lewis Moody, who are named in the starting XV, and Louis Deacon, who is also among the replacements.

"I play at Leicester in a great pack," Cole told the RFU Podcast. "There are great players with the likes of Louis Deacon, Mefin Davies and George Chuter. I am just a part of that pack - it's the Leicester pack that does the work.

"I have been able to have some decent performances on the back of the work done as a pack. I never expected anything higher up."

The opening games of the RBS 6 Nations Championship, including England against Wales, will be shown on the big screen in the Tiger Bar at Welford Road on Saturday.

The bar, in the Clubhouse Stand, will be open in time for supporters to watch Ireland versus Italy at 2pm, then England's first game against Wales which is a 5pm kick-off.