Richard Wigglesworth has named the Leicester Tigers matchday squad to play Exeter Chiefs in Round 22 of the 2022/23 Gallagher Premiership.
Julián Montoya will captain the team at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Sunday afternoon.
Wigglesworth has made four positional changes to his starting side from the last outing, away to Leinster in Dublin in the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals.
Freddie Steward returns to the starting full-back role, which sees Chris Ashton come into the side on the wing for his first appearance in seven weeks. Anthony Watson, who wore the No.14 shirt in Ireland, moves into the No.11 jersey.
Matt Scott also returns to action, after missing the past fortnight through injury, to make up the Leicester midfield with Dan Kelly.
Jack van Poortvliet and Handré Pollard are the starting half-backs for a third successive fixture.
Meanwhile, in the forward pack, Wigglesworth has made just one change with Dan Cole starting at tighthead prop in place of Joe Heyes.
Heyes joins Charlie Clare, Tom West, Ely Snyman and Olly Cracknell as the replacement forwards.
Ben Youngs is line for a return to action after two weekends sidelined with injury and, if used, will make his 300th Leicester Tigers appearance.
Youngs will become just the 37th player in the club’s history to reach the milestone and second in the current campaign after Cole achieved the triple century earlier this season.
Jimmy Gopperth and Harry Potter, who both featured in last weekend’s outing, are the remaining backs on the bench.
STARTING XV
15 Freddie Steward [70]
14 Chris Ashton [25]
13 Matt Scott [63]
12 Dan Kelly [53]
11 Anthony Watson [14]
10 Handré Pollard [12]
9 Jack van Poortvliet [63]
1 James Cronin [14]
2 Julián Montoya (c) [41]
3 Dan Cole [307]
4 George Martin [56]
5 Cameron Henderson [34]
6 Hanro Liebenberg [82]
7 Tommy Reffell [97]
8 Jasper Wiese [58]
REPLACEMENTS
16 Charlie Clare [76]
17 Tom West [8]
18 Joe Heyes [121]
19 Eli Snyman [33]
20 Olly Cracknell [22]
21 Ben Youngs [299]
22 Jimmy Gopperth [15]
23 Harry Potter [64]
Commentary
TIGERS DEFEAT CHIEFS
Leicester Tigers are the victors, 62-19, over Exeter Chiefs at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
CON | EXETER CHIEFS
A successful conversion attempt from in front for Exeter makes it 62-19 with just minutes left on the clock.
TRY | EXETER CHIEFS
The visitors get across the chalk for their first of the second-half, making it 16-17, in the final stages of the match.
CON | JIMMY GOPPERTH
Jimmy Gopperth is on target from the tee to extend the lead out to 50 points with four minutes remaining.
TRY | MATT SCOTT
Matt Scott has his second of the match, which brings up the 60 point mark for the home side, with five minutes remaining.
CON | JIMMY GOPPERTH
Jimmy Gopperth converts Chris Ashton's third of the afternoon.
TRY | CHRIS ASHTON
Chris Ashton scores his third of the match, and 101st in Premiership Rugby, to make it a hat-trick this afternoon!
CON | Handré Pollard
Handré Pollard converts from out wide, extending the lead to 48-12 with 15 minutes left.
TRY | MATT SCOTT
Quick hands in the backfield from Leicester finds Anthony Watson, who skips and steps his way into space before popping up a pass for Matt Scott to run it in down the wing.
CON | HANDRÉ POLLARD
Handré Pollard converts the try, which extends the home side's lead to 29 points with 24 minutes remaining.
TRY | GEORGE MARTIN
George Martin crashes over from close range after a patient set of phases from the home side in attack.
TRY | CHRIS ASHTON
THERE IT IS ... Chris Ashton dives over for his 100th Premiership try!!!
RED | EXETER CHIEFS
A second yellow card for Olly Woodburn means red for the Exeter wing, meaning they are down to 14 men for the remainder of this game.
PENALTY TRY | LEICESTER TIGERS
Chris Ashton looks to have scored the 100th try, only to be denied by the TMO.
However, the checks on the big screen show a cynical act from Exeter's wing Olly Woodburn and a penalty try is awarded.
Woodburn is also shown his second yellow of the game, resulting in a red card and Chiefs going down to 14 men for the remaining 37 minutes.
CHIEFS GET US GOING AGAIN
The second-half is underway at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
TIGERS LEAD AT THE BREAK
The home side take a 10-point, 22-12 lead into the changing rooms!
TRY | CHRIS ASHTON
Chris Ashton dives over in the corner after swooping on an Anthony Watson grubber to score his 99th Premiership try and extend the Leicester lead to 22-12.
YELLOW | RORY O'LOUGHLIN
A second yellow card for Exeter, this time to Rory O'Loughlin, for an intentional knock-on.
CON | EXETER CHIEFS
Exeter trail by five, 17-12, with five minutes remaining in the first half after Joe Simmonds adds the extras from the kicking tee.
TRY | EXTER CHIEFS
A cross-field kick inside their own half proves costly for Leicester after it lands in Exeter's hands and is then worked back inside for support players, the final of which is Stuart Hogg who dives over.
PEN |HANDRÉ POLLARD
After hitting the posts with one penalty-goal attempt, Handré Pollard sends a second - in as many minutes - through the uprights to extend the lead to 17-5 after 33 minutes.
YELLOW | OLLY WOODBURN
Exeter wing Olly Woodburn is shown a yellow card.
15
MISSED CON | EXETER CHIEFS
The conversion attempt bounces off the uprights and the difference remains nine, 14-5, after 15 minutes.
TRY | EXETER CHIEFS
The visitors are on the scoreboard, through Sam Simmonds, after the Chiefs No.8 bursrs on to a pass one off the ruck and through a hole in the Leicester defence.
CON | HANDRÉ POLLARD
Handré Pollard converts, again from out wide, and it's 14-0 at Mattioli Woods Welford Roqadf in the 11th minute.
TRY | JACK VAN POORTVLIET
Leicester have a second, through Jack van Poortvliet, after the Tigers scrum-half darts down the blind side and finds Chris Ashton in support.
The wing grubbers back inside for his No.9, who picks it up on the bounce and dives over.
CON | HANDRÉ POLLARD
Handré Pollard converts from out wide making it 7-0 after six minutes at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
TRY | DAN KELLY
Handré Pollard breaks open the Exeter defence near halfway, with a dummy, and runs it 20m before dropping a grubber across to the right-hand side for Dan Kelly to swoop and finish in the corner for the first try.
S-UNDERWAY IN LEICESTER
Handré Pollard gets the game going at Mattioli Woods Welford Road against Exeter Chiefs!