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Six Tigers in the Lions squad

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Leicester Tigers will be represented by six players on the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia this summer.

Dan Cole, Tom Croft, Geoff Parling, Manu Tuilagi and Ben and Tom Youngs have all been named in the 38-man Lions squad which was announced in London on Tuesday morning.

The squad will be captained by Wales back-rower Sam Warburton.

In Cole, Croft, Tuilagi and the Youngs brothers, Tigers have five Lions selections who have come up through the club’s Academy system.

It will be Croft’s second Lions tour. The Tigers and England back-rower was called up as a replacement for the 2009 tour to South Africa and went on to win three caps including the first Test in Durban when he scored two tries.

Ben and Tom Youngs are the first brothers to be selected for a Lions tour since Tony and Rory Underwood and Gavin and Scott Hastings in 1993.

Tigers have the joint highest number of players in the squad alongside Leinster.

Director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: “It is fantastic to have six players named in the squad.

“Their selection is thoroughly deserved and it shows the quality of the playing group we have at Tigers.

“Five of the six players have come through our Academy, which underlines the work that we do here.

“They have worked very hard and I am delighted for them.”

2013 British & Irish Lions squad
Fullbacks: 
Leigh Halfpenny (Wales, Cardiff Blues), Stuart Hogg (Scotland, Glasgow Warriors), Rob Kearney (Ireland, Leinster)

Wings: Tommy Bowe (Ireland, Ulster), Alex Cuthbert (Wales, Cardiff Blues), Sean Maitland (Scotland, Glasgow Warriors), George North (Wales, Scarlets)

Centres: Jonathan Davies (Wales, Scarlets), Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland, Leinster), Jamie Roberts (Wales, Cardiff Blues), Manusamoa Tuilagi (England, Leicester Tigers)

Outside halves: Owen Farrell (England, Saracens), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland, Leinster)

Scrum halves: Conor Murray (Ireland, Munster), Mike Phillips (Wales, Bayonne), Ben Youngs (England, Leicester Tigers)

Props: Dan Cole (England, Leicester Tigers), Cian Healy (Ireland, Leinster), Gethin Jenkins (Wales, Toulon), Adam Jones (Wales, Ospreys), Matt Stevens (England, Saracens), Mako Vunipola (England, Saracens)

Hookers: Dylan Hartley (England, Northampton Saints), Richard Hibbard (Wales, Ospreys), Tom Youngs (England, Leicester Tigers)

Second rows: Ian Evans (Wales, Ospreys), Richie Gray (Scotland, Sale Sharks), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales, Ospreys), Paul O'Connell (Ireland, Munster), Geoff Parling (England, Leicester Tigers)

Back rows: Tom Croft (England, Leicester Tigers), Toby Faletau (Wales, Newport Gwent Dragons), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland, Leinster), Dan Lydiate (Wales, Newport Gwent Dragons), Sean O'Brien (Ireland, Leinster), Justin Tipuric (Wales, Ospreys), Sam Warburton (Wales, Cardiff Blues)