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Match report | Tigers take a win against the Exiles

Leicester Tigers gained a fifth Gallagher Premiership win of the season with a 13-7 victory over London Irish at Welford Road on Wednesday evening.

A try from David Williams, just moments after Tom Youngs had been denied by the TMO, helped to give Tigers a 10-0 half-time lead in Round 16.

Hanro Liebenberg was held up over the tryline in the opening minutes of the second half and debutant Nemani Nadolo denied as the TMO spotted a deflection forward before the Exiles got on the board with a converted try to make it 13-7 with 20 minutes left to play.

Tommy Reffell also had a score disallowed before Tigers closed out the win with some patience on the ball in the closing stages.

The result denied the visitors a seasonal double over Tigers after their win at the Madejski Stadium in the early weeks of the league season had ended a run of six Leicester victories in the meetings of the teams.

With both sets of coaches keen to rotate during a spell of three games in eight days, Tigers recalled internationals Ellis Genge, Tom Youngs, Dan Cole, Ben Youngs and George Ford while giving a first run-out to recent arrival Nemani Nadolo.

Referee Luke Pearce, reaching a century of Premiership matches, got the game in underway on a bright early evening with Ford launching a kick towards the Robin Hood Stand end.

Within seconds he had turned down a shot at goal from 25 metres to raise the tempo with ball in hand and Tigers stayed on the attack as Jordan Taufua linked with Matt Scott in midfield to create space on the right but Williams was closed out just short of the tryline.

Ford did, though, open the scoring with a 40-metre kick with seven minutes gone.

Nadolo had his first chance on the left as Tigers spread play from a turnover won by Williams and the big Fijian attracted two defenders before offloading for Ben Youngs who was taken into touch 20 metres out.

With Harry Wells off for a head injury check after just 10 minutes, George Martin got another taste of Premiership rugby from the bench, though he also made an early exit after taking a knock.

When Irish did get forward, with a Paddy Jackson kick down the left, Tigers defended solidly and pushed play back up towards halfway where Tommy Reffell’s work at the breakdown gained a penalty.

Carries from Nadolo and Ellis Genge threatened in attack and then a smart kick over his shoulder from Ben Youngs forced the Exiles on to their own line as the drinks break arrived.

Play restarted with an Irish lineout on their five-metre line and, when they missed the throw, Martin capitalised, took play to the line and Tom Youngs drove over. The referee initially awarded the score but was persuaded by TMO Sean Davey that the Tigers skipper had been held up.

The game restarted with a scrum and thus time Ford quickly moved ball from left to right and Freddie Steward’s pass gave Williams the scoring chance on the right, dotting down in the corner for his first Premiership try. Ford added a pinpoint conversion from the touchline for a 10-point lead on 25 minutes.

A penalty against the Tigers scrum finally gave Irish a platform in attack but tackles from Tom Youngs, Reffell, Ford and Dan Cole ushered their rivals into touch. When they had another set of phases on the ball, they were met by even stronger defence, again led by Youngs and Reffell plus a big hit from Taufua.

It was the Exiles’ best spell of the half, though Ford sent them back with a towering 40-metre clearance and then Williams closed out Hassell-Collins as Tigers reached the break 10-0 in front.

Williams was back in the action as the game got back underway, sliding a kick down the touchline which pinned Irish back.

Liebenberg and Cole both went close to providing the final push in possession before the South African was held up over the tryline.

The five-metre scrum collapsed and Ford elected to add the three-pointer to make it 13-0 on 46 minutes while referee Pearce spoke to Irish captain Blair Cowan about discipline at the set-piece.

Nadolo tantalisingly saw space on the left as Tigers played across the backline, but the whistle brought play back for a forward pass.

More disappointment followed when Genge’s pop pass deflected forward off Luke Wallace and Nadolo ran through to dot down, only to have the knock-on confirmed between referee and TMO.

Wallace was alert to the danger as Wallabies cap Curtis Rona threatened to break the defensive line, but Irish still had attacking ball and also an extra man when Calum Green was sin-binned as he failed to retreat and tackled scrum-half Ben Meehan at a tap tackle just metres out from the line.

Nadolo anchored the scrum but Tigers had to withstand a charge for the line from Irish No8 Albert Tuisue, getting bodies under him as he tried to dot down.

Reffell was up smartly to stop Tuisue as he tried again, but the flanker was then whistled for offside as he made a follow-up tackle with Tigers camped back on their line.

The Exiles kept the ball tight and finally got over the line with a score for scrum-half Ben Meehan, fly-half Paddy Jackson adding the conversion entering the final quarter.

A good carry from replacement Nephi Leatigaga gave Tigers attacking ball but Ford pulled a drop kick wide of the posts.

The fly-half made instant amends with a break towards the left corner and Reffell dived in. Again, referee Pearce was inclined to award the score but checked and found a Tigers player offside and blocking the defence.

A scrappy closing period saw Tigers thankful to Leatigaga’s intervention in defence with Irish breaking some determined cover on halfway.

Tigers, with Ben White prompting from scrum-half, played down the clock through phases at close quarters with Leatigaga and Joe Heyes on the ball, wrapping up the victory.

Match Details

HT ScoreHalf Time Score

LEI 10-0 LON

FT ScoreFull Time Score

LEI 13-7 LON

Attendance

Not available

Referee

Luke Pearce

Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
13

Full Time

London Irish
London Irish
7
Leicester Tigers
P
T
C
P
KOHTFT
London Irish
T
C

Match Stats

Leicester Tigers
London Irish
Possession
38%
62%
Territory
39%
61%
Penalties Conceded
8
10
Yellow Cards
1
0
Red Cards
0
0
Tackles Won
165/182 91%
100/118 85%
Scrums Won
7/7 100%
12/13 92%
Lineouts Won
13/13 100%
11/13 85%

Player Stats

Leicester Tigers
London Irish
Leicester Tigers
TCDP
15Freddie Steward
14David Williams1T
13Jaco Taute
12Matt Scott
11Nemani Nadolo
10George Ford1C2P
9Ben Youngs
1Ellis Genge
2Tom Youngs
3Dan Cole
4Harry Wells
5Calum Green
6Hanro Liebenberg
7Tommy Reffell
8Jordan Taufua
16Charlie Clare
17Nephi Leatigaga
18Joe Heyes
19George Martin
20Luke Wallace
21Ben White
22Zack Henry
23Jordan Olowofela

Commentary

80

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Tigers have that winning feeling again! Thank you to everyone who tuned into our Matchday Live coverage for this evening's match.

We'll be back on Sunday (August 30, 4.30pm) when Tigers travel to Kingsholm to face Gloucester Rugby.

Until then, goodbye.

FULL TIME | 13-7

There are cheers from the Tigers backs as the referee's arm goes up on the home side with the clock in the red, and George Ford kicks the ball out for full-time.

79

THROUGH THE PHASES

Tigers have possession on halfway, and Ben White marshals his forwards to keep control of the ball as the seconds tick away.

78

ON THE BALL

...but Nephi Leatigaga is ready to make up for his recent misdemeanours, and the big man plants himself over the ball on the floor and he wins the breakdown penalty. That's pressure relieved for now.

77

IRISH FIZZING

The Exiles shift gears as they break into the Tigers half through TJ Ioane...

75

MAUL TURNED OVER

Charlie Clare finds his mark in Hanro Liebenberg, but the ball is turned over in the tangle of limbs and so Irish will have the put-in at this late scrum with five minutes of the match remaining.

74

OVER THE BALL!

That's a huuuge moment. Tigers win the ball back on the floor inside their own half, and as the players emerge from the ruck it's Nadolo who can claim the plaudits for that one.

73

OFFSIDE

But the ball is back in Irish hands before too long after Leatigaga is pinged for offside. Jackson's kick is into the Tigers' half...

71

SUPERB TAKE

Freddie Steward climbs highest - very high, indeed - to juggle a George Ford kick, and the pair have made great ground into the Irish half once more.

70

RIGHT HALF

Tigers swarm over the visitors as the Exiles attempt to break from their half, and Jackson has to go to the boot to find some ground.

The take turns into a maul, but Tigers keep the man up and the penalty goes Leicester's way.

68

DISALLOWED!

...and so it happens to be.

Nephi Leatigaga is adjudged to have obstructed the No9, and another score is removed from the board.

68

TMO | POSSIBLE TIGERS TRY

George Ford runs a brilliant arc around the fringe of the Irish defence, and feeds Tommy Reffell at the last moment to dive over and score.

But we'll check the build-up to the try, with scrum-half Meehan going to ground...

67

MISSED DROP GOAL

Matt Scott is picked out in midfield, but the white-shirted defenders are on him quickly and force Ford into a drop-goal attempt which just slides wide.

EXILES CHANGES

The visitors make a trio of changes as Matt Cornish, Lovejoy Chawatama and TJ Ioane all join the action.

65

TIGERS TERRITORY

Tigers push up the field courtesy of some of their fresh legs, and into the Irish 22.

TIGERS REPLACEMENTS

All change in the front row for Tigers as Nephi Leatigaga, Charlie Clare and Joe Heyes all join the fray, and Ben White comes on at scrum-half.

AND THE CONVERSION

Jackson adds the extras and this is now a six-point game.

IRISH CRASH OVER

Leicester's whitewash warriors hold back the Exiles charge for a number of phases, but ultimately the one-man advantage tells and the visitors crash over through scrum-half Ben Meehan.

59

JACKSON TAKES ADVANTAGE

Luke Pearce sticks an arm out on the visitors' side as the Tigers defenders re-group on their line, and Paddy Jackson chips over the top under penalty advnatge.

The ball bobbles dead, so we'll come back for another scrum.

58

EXILES HELD UP!

Jordan Taufua comes into the engine room at the scrum and it's Nemani 'The Powerhouse' Nadolo who packs down at No8 to defend the five-metre scrum.

Albert Tuisue gets over the line, but he's held up and the scrum will be reset.

YELLOW CARD | CALUM GREEN

Tigers give away a penalty on their five-metre line and scrum-half Ben Meehan taps-and-goes with the ball, and Calum Green sacrifices himself to make the illegal tackle and stop the score.

He'll spend 10 minutes in the sin bin.

54

PENALISED ON THE GROUND

Luke Wallace is pinged for disrupting Irish ball on the floor a little too enthusiastically, and Paddy Jackson drills the ball into the empty stands to set up a lineout in the corner.

53

HUGE HITS

Possessions flip-flops from one side to another, with Tigers forced into some huge defensive hits, and Dan Cole gets his man to ground judo-style to slow down the Irish attack.

51

DEBUT SCORE?!

Nadolo dives over the line after a brilliant pop-pass from Ellis Genge, but slow mo replays show the ball bounces forward off Luke Wallace and the five points will be chalked off. False alarm.

IRISH CHANGE

Jack Cooke is on for London Irish back-rower Ben Donnell.

50

HANDBAGS AT DAWN

Maybe it's the frustration of another scrum gone wrong, but the Irish pack don't like that one. There's a little bit of afters as the two front rows come up ... but Tigers have the penalty and can pin the viistors back into their own 22.

48

...ANOTHER SCRUM

Irish unleash their backs, but they replicate Tigers' mistake and commit a forward pass on the fringe.

That means we'll have another scrum - and the only person celebrating that fact is probably Boris Stankovich.

47

FORWARD PASS!

Tigers win some unexpected possession off the kick-off as Tom Homer can't quite take the kick, and Jaco Taute's looping pass out to Nemani Nadolo just creeps forward. Shame.

FORD ADDS THREE

Three more points from George Ford bring Tigers' tally to 13 points so far in this match.

44

COLLAPSED SCRUM

After a scrum reset, Tigers win the penalty and opt for a shot at goal.

43

TIGERS HELD UP!

The forwards batter the whitewash as they sniff an early second-half score, but Hanro Liebenberg is held up on the final attempt, so Ben Youngs will have the put-in at a five-metre scrum.

43

DOWN THE WING

Jaco Taute combines with try-scorer Williams to break down the right-hand side to get Tigers up into the 22.

42

IRISH MISTAKES

The visitors miss their man off the back of the lineout and then double down on their error when Curtis Rona fails to take the pass a few phases later.

SECOND HALF UNDERWAY

We're back underway at Welford Road for the second half of this Gallagher Premiership clash.

HALF TIME | 10-0

David Williams marshals Ollie Hassell-Collins into touch and that's the half. Tigers have the lead at the break, 10 points to nil.

39

SCRAPPY PLAY

Luke Pearce keeps the game going as possession flits from one side to another and Tigers even get up into the Irish 22, only to be brought back for a technical infringement in their own half.

37

INTO THE 22

The Exiles are into the Tigers 22 as they attempt to set up a rolling maul from their lineout.

36

CLASH OF HEADS

A brief lull as London Irish loosehead Harry Elrington is toweled down for a blood injury.

35

STEWARD UP IN THE AIR

London Irish pick out young Freddie Steward with a kick of their own, but the full-back is more than assured in plucking the ball out of the dusk.

34

LINES CLEARED

Tigers win the scrum battle once more, and George Ford calls on his siege boot to pin London Irish back on halfway - a Tigers gain of about 40 metres. Not bad.

32

KNOCK ON!

Irish pull the trigger on a choreographed move off the back of their scrum, but the Tigers defenders are ready and waiting - with Jordan Taufua putting in a pair of mammoth tackles to deny the visitors, before the ball is knocked on by the Exiles.

31

DISLODGED BALL

Ellis Genge carries the ball up at great speed as Tigers win their own lineout, but it's Blair Cowan who manages to dislodge the ball from the Baby Rhino's grasp and force another scrum.

30

BUNDLED INTO TOUCH

Some more big hits from the Tigers defenders, with Dan Cole called upon in the green line and then once again a couple of pahses later as he bundles Jackson over the touchline.

28

DEFENSIVE MODE

There's an immediate response from London Irish, as they win possession from the restart and then a penalty, which fly-half Paddy Jackson uses to pin Tigers back into the corner.

ENFORCED CHANGE

George Martin, a replacement himself, trudges up the tunnel after seemingly getting injured in his reach out for the try line, and Luke Wallace joins the action.

Hanro Liebenberg will shift into the second row.

TOUCHLINE CONVERSION

George Ford adds the extras from the tee and Tigers lead 10 points to nil.

WILLIAMS DOTS DOWN

Second time lucky! Tigers try to get Nadolo into the game off the back of the scrum, but instead the ball gets out to David Williams, who dots down on the right.

23

SCRUM DELAY

Up, down and back up again - we reckon there would be a few jeers from the Terrace if it took this long to set up a scrum with the #TigersFamily at home!

But the home side win the penalty and go for the shove once more, as Youngs and Co smell blood...

21

TMO | TIGERS DENIED

George Martin gobbles up a dodgy Irish lineout on the five-metre line, and Tom Youngs crashes over just a couple of phases later ... but TMO Sean Davey overturns the on-field decision.

20

BREATHLESS EXCHANGE

The Exiles keep the ball for a few phases as they threaten in Tigers' half, but Nadolo wins the ball back - one-handed - in front of an empty Breedon Terrace and sets up a brilliant George Ford clearance kick moments later.

18

MOMENTUM CHANGE

...but the visitors pounce on a loose ball and Curtis Rona makes a half-break through Tigers lines to get back into the home half.

18

BATTERING RAM

Tigers use Nadolo off the back of the set-piece and he draws in four defenders as he breaks into the Irish 22.

16

REFFELL WINS THE BALL

The Exiles look dangerous once more as they probe the right-hand side, but Tommy Reffell gets over the ball and wins a peep on referee Luke Pearce's whistle.

15

IRISH POSSESSION

The away team make the most of the ball for the first time in this pass as they nudge up and over halfway, but the green wall holds strong.

12

RESET!

Tigers get the decision at the first scrum, but captain Tom Youngs calls for his pack to go again.

The home side win the shoving battle once more, and the kick goes out to the right for Williams ... Hassell-Collins gets a hand to it, but it very nearly bounces into the Tigers wing's grasp!

11

SCRUM RESTART

Martin is straight into the action at lock as a like-for-like replacement with Wells as we get going with a scrum.

EARLY CHANGE

Martin is on for Wells in an early injury-enforced change.

10

BREAK IN PLAY

A pause in the action as Harry Wells receives treatment after an awkward-looking collision, and No19 George Martin is down from his place in the Breedon Stand to warm up on the side of the pitch.

9

TURNOVER BALL

Tom Homer gets under the ball for Irish, but he doesn't have it for long - we think it's Dan Cole who wins the ball back on the deck, and possession is shipped out to Nadolo for his first touch on the left.

He shrugs off the first defender and offloads to Ben Youngs, but he is brough down just on the Irish 22.

FIRST BLOOD TO TIGERS

A perfect penalty from Ford gets Tigers off the mark in this game.

7

SHOT AT GOAL

Sekope Kepu comes in at the side of a breakdown in the middle of the field, and fly-half Ford can't resist a first attempt at the posts this evening.

6

SLICK HANDS

The ball is quickly whipped from right to left in the next phase of play and we almost - almost - see a first touch of the ball for Nemani Nadolo, but the final pass is just behidn the big Fijian.

5

INTO THE CORNER!

Leicester come off the top of the lineout quickly and feed the ball out to Williams on the right, who breaks all the way up the corner before he is tackled into touch. Close!

4

NICE ONE!

...but Jaco Taute gets over the ball to win Tigers a penalty and Ford drills it downfield.

3

AERIAL BATTLE

Irish get the ball out of their scrum and kick downfield, before Exiles wing Ollie Hassell-Collins does a great job of getting under the return.

2

EARLY PRESSURE

Tigers start at an electric pace as they push up into the London Irish 22 through some heavy carries, but the last pass out to wing David Williams goes awry and we'll pack down for the first time this evening.

KICK OFF IN ROUND 16

George Ford gets Tigers underway at Welford Road in this midweek fixture.

-1

RUGBY AGAINST RACISM

The players take their now-familiar places as we show our solidarity for equality in our sport under the banner of Rugby Against Racism.

-2

A MOMENT OF REFLECTION

We will take a moment of silence to remember those lost too soon and to pay tribute to the brave NHS staff and key workers in our community who have been working so hard during this challenging period.

-15

TEAM TALK | TIGERS TAKE ON THE EXILES

Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick says he expects to see more from his team against a ‘dangerous’ London Irish outfit this evening.

“We have got to keep making steps forward … as a coach you are always dissatisfied, you always want more,” he told LTTV.

“They have got some dangerous runners and a really experienced coaching team, a smart coaching team … I’m looking forward to it and know our players are.”

“Every day you have got to find ways to learn. When you have got short turnarounds and midweek games, a lot of that learning is off the field, so we need to make sure we maximise those opportunities.”

Watch the full Team Talk, brought to you by Topps Tiles, on LTTV.

-20

CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS

Several of the club’s international stars return to the Leicester Tigers line-up after a short turnaround from Saturday’s match.

Nemani Nadolo makes his long-awaited Tigers debut on the left wing, while club captain Tom Youngs returns to lead the side from the front row.

International duo George Ford and Ben Youngs take the reins from half-back, and there’s a place on the bench for development lock George Martin after impressing on his Premiership debut last time out.

See the full match line-ups by clicking here, or scrolling down on this page.
 

LEAD_Team-GP16.png

-25

MATCH PREVIEW | MIDWEEK RUGBY AT WELFORD ROAD

Welford Road hosts its first Premiership midweek evening fixture in 12 years when Leicester Tigers meet London Irish this evening.

There’s a very different look to the green, white and red compared to the young side who faced Bath last time out, as director of rugby Geordan Murphy explained.

“We started really well against Exeter and then Bath,” he said. “We’ve shown some good things in part and the reviews have been positive, but you have to take your lessons and get better as a group.

“We’re conscious of managing bodies after five months off playing and then into a busy period. We’re trying to be smart and use the squad, and hopefully we come out the other side in a strong position.”

See all the important facts and stats in our full match preview here, or scroll down on this page.
 

LEAD_Preview-GP16.png

WELCOME TO MATCHDAY LIVE!

We’re LIVE for Round 16 of the Gallagher Premiership, as Leicester Tigers host London Irish at Welford Road (6.00pm).

Follow all the action as it happens with our Matchday Live coverage, right here on the Tigers App and LeicesterTigers.com.
 

LEAD_GameDay-GP16.png

Opposition Lineup

Starting XV

15
14
Tom Parton
13
Curtis Rona
12
Terrence Hepetema
11
Ollie Hassell-Collins
10
Paddy Jackson
9
Ben Meehan
1
Harry Elrington
2
3
4
George Nott
5
Sebastian de Chaves
6
Ben Donnell
7
8
Albert Tuisue

Replacements

16
Matthew Cornish
17
Will Goodrick-Clarke
18
Lovejoy Chawatama
19
Jack Cooke
20
TJ Ioane
21
Rory Brand
22
Jacob Atkins
23
Ross Neal

Match Preview | Midweek rugby at Welford Road

Joe Heyes combines with Jordan Taufua in defence against Irish earlier this season
Joe Heyes combines with Jordan Taufua in defence against Irish earlier this season

Welford Road hosts its first Premiership midweek evening fixture in 12 years when Leicester Tigers meet London Irish today (6.00pm kick-off).

Tigers and the Exiles meet in Round 16 of the Gallagher Premiership campaign, just days after defeat for both teams in the second game of the restarted phase of the season.

Both sets of coaches rotated gametime in their squad on Saturday as Tigers gave debuts to four players in a home defeat by Bath while Declan Kidney’s Irish outfit had a day to forget as they moved to their new temporary home at The Stoop but lost 27-3 against Northampton Saints.

Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick recalls England international front-rowers Ellis Genge, Tom Youngs and Dan Cole, plus half-backs Ben Youngs and George Ford, while also handing a first outing to summer signing Nemani Nadolo.

London Irish, who travel to Tigers for the first time since January 2018, include former Leicester lock Sebastian de Chaves and centre Terrence Hepetema. Tom Homer, who scored two tries in a win for Bath against Tigers before lockdown, is at full-back after his recent return to the club where he made his original Premiership breakthrough.

Exiles director of rugby Declan Kidney, who coached Tigers counterpart Geordan Murphy through his representative career from Ireland Under-19s to Test level, said: “Both sides are looking to get back to winning ways, so this match has the potential to be a really good contest.

"We know Leicester rested a lot of their players last Saturday, so they will be fresh and eager to get at us at Welford Road, but we are excited for the challenge.”

Tigers were beaten 36-11 in the first meeting of the season back in November to end a run of six successive wins over the Exiles.

Overall the clubs have met on 65 previous occasions with Tigers winning 54 to 10 by Irish and just one draw.

Murphy said: “We started really well against Exeter and then Bath. We’ve shown some good things in part and the reviews have been positive, but you have to take your lessons and get better as a group.

“We’re conscious of managing bodies after five months off playing and then into a busy period. We’re trying to be smart and use the squad, and hopefully we come out the other side in a strong position.”

Irish start the game in ninth place in the table, eight points better off than their hosts, and have previously won at Wasps, Northampton and Harlequins this season.

Luke Pearce takes charge of his 100th Premiership match, becoming the 13th referee to reach that mark. He is also the second-youngest, with Wayne Barnes a month younger when he reached the century.

This fixture will be played behind closed doors with no supporters admitted.

There is live coverage on BT Sport Extra 2/App from 5.55pm.

Tigers season ticket holders without a BT Sport subscription can follow all of the action with a BT Match Pass. Click here for details of how to register in advance and watch the game for free.

You can keep up to date with all of the match action with the Tigers Matchday Live service on the app or follow the day’s main events via social media.

And you can share your photos watching Tigers away from the stadium using the hashtag #TigersAtHome.

Team news | Tigers side named for Irish encounter

Leicester Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick has made 14 changes to the matchday squad for Wednesday evening’s Gallagher Premiership game against London Irish at Welford Road.

Ellis Genge and Tom Youngs return after missing Saturday’s fixture and are joined in the front row by fellow international Dan Cole, who came off the bench against Bath at the weekend.

Tigers Academy graduates Harry Wells and Calum Green make up the second row with Hanro Liebenberg included at blindside flanker for his first start since the Premiership resumed. He is alongside Tommy Reffell and Jordan Taufua.

Ben Youngs and George Ford return at half-back with fellow international pairing Matt Scott and Jaco Taute in the midfield.

Nemani Nadolo will make his highly-anticipated debut for Leicester while David Williams, who made his senior club debut away to Exeter in Round 15, is on the other wing.

Academy graduate Freddie Steward is at full-back in his first starting appearance of the resumed 2019/20 campaign.

Included among the replacements is Charlie Clare, who scored his first Tigers try in last weekend’s outing at Welford Road, and is joined by Joe Heyes and Nephi Leatigaga as front-row cover.

George Martin is in line for his second Premiership appearance after impressing in his debut on Saturday, with Luke Wallace the other forward on the bench.

Backs replacements are Tigers Academy graduates Ben White and Jordan Olowofela, as well as recent addition Zack Henry.

Speaking about the short turnaround from Saturday into Wednesday evening, head coach Borthwick said: “Every day you have got to find ways to learn. When you have short turnarounds and midweek games, a lot of that learning is off the field, so we need to make sure we maximise those opportunities.

“Preparation has gone well and we are really looking forward to the game.”

Looking at the selected team, he added: “The players are excited about it and the opportunity to get back on to the field.

“It’s exciting to see Nemani Nadolo in his first game for Leicester Tigers, he has worked exceptionally hard over a number of weeks.

“It’s also great to see someone like George Martin, who played exceptionally well on Saturday, on the bench this week to finish the game.”

Borthwick admitted that, while progress is being made, he wants to see more from the side against a “dangerous” Irish outfit.

“I think we have got to keep making steps forward,” he said. “As a coach you are always dissatisfied, you always want more.

“They’ve got some dangerous runners and a really experienced coaching team, a smart coaching team. I am looking forward to it and I know our players are.”

Leicester Tigers (v London Irish, home, Wednesday 6.00pm)

15 Freddie Steward

14 David Williams

13 Jaco Taute

12 Matt Scott

11 Nemani Nadolo

10 George Ford (vc)

9 Ben Youngs

1 Ellis Genge

2 Tom Youngs (c)

3 Dan Cole

4 Harry Wells

5 Calum Green

6 Hanro Liebenberg

7 Tommy Reffell

8 Jordan Taufua

Replacements

16 Charlie Clare

17 Nephi Leatigaga

18 Joe Heyes

19 George Martin

20 Luke Wallace

21 Ben White

22 Zack Henry

23 Jordan Olowofela

London Irish: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Tom Parton, 13 Curtis Rona, 12 Terrence Hepetema, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Ben Meehan; 1 Harry Elrington, 2 Motu Matu’u, 3 Sekope Kepu, 4 George Nott, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 6 Ben Donnell, 7 Blair Cowan (c), 8 Albert Tuisue.

Replacements: 16 Matt Cornish, 17 Will Goodrick-Clarke, 18 Lovejoy Chawatama, 19 Jack Cooke, 20 TJ Ioane, 21 Rory Brand, 22 Jacob Atkins, 23 Ross Neal.

posteamteam namepldwdlfadifftftatblbpts
10
London Irish
London IrishLON226115386633-24750886234
11
Leicester Tigers
Leicester TigersLEI226115374609-23535791229
Form Guide
Form
WWWLW
Last Match
Beat Newcastle Falcons 42-10
Past Meeting
Won 25-22
Form
Last Match
Past Meeting
Form
WLWLW
Last Match
Beat Exeter Chiefs 17-14
Past Meeting
Lost 22-25

Matchday Live

Leicester Tigers13
Leicester Tigers
London Irish7
London Irish
Full Time