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Saturday's team news: Tigers v Falcons

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Leicester Tigers welcome back internationals Toby Flood, Ben Youngs and Manu Tuilagi for Saturday's Aviva Premiership fixture against Newcastle Falcons at Welford Road (3pm).

All three will make their first appearances of the season in this weekend’s Round 3 fixture on Tigers' home soil.

Second-rower Graham Kitchener also returns from injury for his first game of the season and there is a Tigers debut for summer signings Jamie Gibson in the back row and American international full-back Blaine Scully.

Another summer signing, prop Tom Bristow, is selected among the replacements alongside British & Irish Lions trio Tom Youngs, Dan Cole and Geoff Parling.

Director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: “We’ve had some very good players unavailable already this season and having some of them back in the fold is really good news for us, for the supporters and obviously for the players.

“Newcastle had a very good win at Sale last week, and Dean Richards and John Wells will bring a well-drilled team who will want to make it very hard for us.

“In isolation we were disappointed to lose at Bath last weekend but we took a point out of the game and every point will count at some stage in the season. Six points from two games is a start but there is a long way to go.”

Louis Deacon, Rob Hawkins, Steve Mafi, Matt Smith and Mathew Tait are unavailable this week, while Tom Croft, Miles Benjamin and Gonzalo Camacho are also sidelined by injury. Marcos Ayerza is on international duty with Argentina.

Tickets for Saturday’s game are available now from the Tigers ticket office. Phone 0844 856 1880 or call in at Welford Road. The office is open until 5pm Friday and from 9am on matchday. Or click here to book online any time and collect on your way to the game.

Saturday's game is not scheduled for live TV coverage so the only place to see all of the action is a Welford Road.

Leicester Tigers (v Newcastle Falcons, Welford Road, Saturday 3pm)
15 Blaine Scully
14 Vereniki Goneva
13 Manusamoa Tuilagi
12 Dan Bowden
11 Adam Thompstone
10 Toby Flood (c)
9 Ben Youngs
1 Boris Stankovich
2 Neil Briggs
3 Logovi’i Mulipola
4 Ed Slater
5 Graham Kitchener
6 Thomas Waldrom
7 Jamie Gibson
8 Jordan Crane

Replacements
16 Tom Youngs
17 Tom Bristow
18 Dan Cole
19 Geoff Parling
20 Julian Salvi
21 David Mele
22 Owen Williams
23 Niall Morris

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Alex Tait, 14 Noah Cato, 13 Adam Powell, 12 James Fitzpatrick, 11 Tom Catterick, 10 Rory Clegg, 9 Warren Fury; 1 Franck Montanella, 2 Rob Vickers, 3 Kieran Brookes, 4 Carlo del Fava, 5 Dominic Barrow, 6 Mark Wilson, 7 Will Welch (c), 8 Chris York

Replacements: 16 Matt Thompson, 17 Gary Strain, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Sean Tomes, 20 Andy Saull, 21 Chris Pilgrim, 22 Joel Hodgson, 23 Alex Crockett