Watch the Match Highlights from Sale Sharks v Leicester Tigers in Round 1 of the 2022/23 Premiership Rugby Cup.
Tigers were beaten 25-19 by the Sharks on Tuesday evening.
Both sides scored three tries, with a young Tigers team starting strongly enough to take a seven-point lead with a penalty try before Sharks fought back to lead 10-7 at the break.
They extended with two tries early in the second half but Tigers replied with two of their own, from Tom Horton and Lewis Chessum in the space of three minutes to bring it back to 22-19 with 20 minutes left to play but could not find another score to take more than the single point from the trip.
Tigers captain Whitcombe was among 12 graduates of the club’s academy in the matchday squad, with brothers Tom and Josh Manz making their senior debuts together in the pack and lock Robert Carmichael also earning his first senior outing from the bench. Tom Horton and full-back Lachlan Shelley also earned a first appearance alongside three loan signings .
