Murphy, the Tigers club captain, who has been out with an ankle injury, and Tait, who is returning from a shoulder injury, played 50 minutes of the fixture in Millau, the players’ first appearance since January.
Director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: “Geordy had 50 minutes for the first time in several months and so did Mathew Tait. These guys have had long injuries so it is good to get them back on the pitch.
“There were a lot of new combinations. We had Billy Twelvetrees with Anthony Allen and James Grindal and George Ford, and there were a lot of young guys and a lot of fresh faces.”
Tigers scored four tries through Thomas Waldrom, Camilo Parili-Ocampo, Andy Forsyth and Tom Armes in a 50-24 defeat.
The fixture against Montpellier, last season’s Top 14 runners-up, took place midway through Tigers' French training camp and Cockerill says it now gives his squad
“It’s the starting point for us,” said Cockerill. “We did some good things and we did some poor things and it gives us a starting point to eradicate those mistakes.
Tigers complete their training camp this week before returning to action with a home fixture against more French opposition in the shape of Lyon OU at Welford Road on Saturday, August 20 (2pm).
Admission is free to season ticket holders. Tickets are available now to all other supporters. Book by phoning the Tigers hotline on 0844 856 1880, call in at Welford Road or book online by clicking here
