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Hughes describes ‘weird’ Tigers debut

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Tigers wing Rory Hughes has loved ‘every second’ of his time in Leicester so far – and his club debut was no different.

The Scotland international started in Tigers’ 30-20 win over Cardiff Blues on Sunday, with Geordan Murphy’s men securing a European quarter-final place in the process.

Hughes described his first run out in green, white and red as a ‘great experience’.

“I’ve only been here 12 days or so but I’ve loved every second of it,” he said.

“I got thrown into the deep end, but all I can do is get better. It’s a good start for me.”

And the 26-year-old, on loan from PRO14 club Glasgow Warriors, noted the irony of marking his Tigers debut against some familiar faces.

“You could say it’s a bit weird, having so many encounters with the Blues in the PRO14 and playing against them,” he added.

“We knew they would go flying into the breakdown; that is what they are well known for.

“In the first half we did not have much ball, but in the second half we came out flying. We defended well in certain parts and there are things to improve on.

“We left a bonus point out there but 30-20, you would take that at the start of the game. If you score every line break it wouldn’t be an enjoyable game.

“We have a very important win and a quarter-final, and we take encouragement from that.”

The Leicester squad travel to Pau this Saturday (January 18) for their final round-robin match in the European Challenge Cup, knowing that taking two points against their Pool 5 rivals will book a home quarter-final regardless of results elsewhere.

But Hughes says he and his new team-mates will not take that fact for granted come kick off at the Stade du Hameau.

He added: “They’re a big French side, we’ll do our homework with them, see what they have to offer and what their strengths are and attack them.

“It’s going to be a massive game. The French especially don’t like losing at home so it’s another tough game, but we are up for the challenge.”