Flood returns to the starting line-up alongside international colleagues Ben and Tom Youngs, while prop Dan Cole is also included in the matchday 23.
Director of rugby Richard Cockerill gives a first Aviva Premiership start to Miles Benjamin on the wing following his full recovery from injury, while prop Fraser Balmain and centre Matt Smith make their first league starts of the 2013/14 season.
Saturday’s game is not scheduled for live broadcast so the only place to see all of the action is at Welford Road.
Fewer than 100 seat tickets are still available, plus places on the terrace. Book now at the Tigers ticket office. Call in at Welford Road, phone 0844 856 1880 (8.30am-5pm Friday and from 9am Saturday) or book online any time and collect on the way to the game.
LEICESTER TIGERS (v London Irish, Welford Road, Saturday 3pm)
15 Scott Hamilton
14 Niall Morris
13 Matt Smith
12 Dan Bowden
11 Miles Benjamin
10 Toby Flood (c)
9 Ben Youngs
1 Boris Stankovich
2 Tom Youngs
3 Fraser Balmain
4 Louis Deacon
5 Graham Kitchener
6 Jamie Gibson
7 Julian Salvi
8 Jordan Crane
Replacements
16 Neil Briggs
17 Tom Bristow
18 Dan Cole
19 Sebastian De Chaves
20 Thomas Waldrom
21 David Mélé
22 Owen Williams
23 Adam Thompstone
London Irish:
15 James O’Connor, 14Topsy Ojo, 13 Fergus Mulchrone, 12 Eamonn Sheridan, 11 Marland Yarde, 10 Shane Geraghty, 9 Tomás O’Leary; 1 John Yapp, 2David Paice, 3 Leo Halavatau, 4 Ian Gough, 5 George Skivington (c); 6 Jebb Sinclair, 7 Blair Cowan, 8 Chris Hala’ufia
Replacements: 16 Jimmy Stevens, 17 Matt Parr, 18 Jamie Hagan, 19 Nic Rouse, 20 Danny Kenny, 21 Guy Armitage, 22 Myles Dorrian, 23 Darren Allinson
