"Up front there were some really tough decisions," said Howard. "We have had to make changes over a very busy period recently but, in the back row especially, anyone left out can feel disappointed. There is good competition in the second row, all the props that have come in have done a good job, as well as James Buckland at hooker, so it was a tough choice right through.
"There are a few guys who are unlucky elsewhere too. Ollie Smith played well at Newcastle last week and it was a hard call to leave Sam Vesty on the bench. Alesana Tuilagi was the form winger over the Christmas period. He was set his challenges, had a very good game against London Irish and backed it up against Saracens, so he got the nod for this weekend."
Howard admits that improvements will be needed if Tigers are to bounce back from last Sunday's defeat against Newcastle at Kingston Park. But the Aussie knows his squad have the fighting spirit and determination to do exactly that.
"Our patience was poor against Newcastle and all the players were extremely disappointed with the performance. I apologise to all of the supporters who travelled all the way there on Sunday and had to drive all the way back. We created opportunities and we had chances to win, but defensively we let in a couple of soft tries and we got what we deserved. But it is gone now. That match is finished and we have to move on. Although we only scored two tries in the game down at Cardiff earlier in the season, the result did show that this side has character and I would love to see that come through in the next couple of weeks."
Tigers go into the match in second-place in Pool Four, knowing that victory is vital if they wish to keep their Heineken Cup hopes alive.
"I think we need nine points from the two remaining games in the pool and that is a great challenge. Unlike the Guinness Premiership where we have a little bit of flexibility, you do not have that in Europe. If you go too far ahead of yourself in any competition you get results like we did last week at Newcastle. We know there is no psychological advantage from us winning down at the Millennium Stadium so we are going to try to deal with the technical analysis, with all of our focus is firmly directed towards Cardiff."
