Fly-half George Ford is looking forward to his Mattioli Woods Welford Road return against the Scarlets this evening in the final warm-up fixture before the start of the new Gallagher Premiership season.
Leicester Tigers return to home territory (7.00pm kick-off) in preparation for the season’s big kick-off at home to Exeter Chiefs next Saturday.
Ford, who was rested during England’s summer programme, returns to action and liens up alongside international colleague Ben Youngs in the Tigers backline.
“I’m looking forward to being back out there on Thursday at Mattioli Woods Welford Road,” Ford said.
“We have had a good pre-season and need to continue to improve with a strong performance against Scarlets.
“They’re a strong squad, with plenty of experience in their ranks, and it’s a good test for us ahead of the new campaign.”
Tigers hosted the Dragons last Saturday after starting the pre-season programme with a trip to Jersey Reds.
Scarlets enjoyed a 55-21 win over Nottingham in their pre-season opener last weekend with Ryan Conbeer claiming a hat-trick of tries and 18-year-old Archie Hughes scoring twice.
Head coach Dwayne Peel has named former Tigers favourite Sione Kalamafoni at No8 for the trip to Mattioli Woods Welford Road, with Leicester academy graduates Tom Price and Sam Costelow also in a starting line-up led by international centre Jonathan Davies.
Tigers will wear the new 2021/22 home kit in this evening’s game.
Following the example of last Saturday’s fixture against the Dragons, three sides of the stadium will be open, with entry included in season tickets. All season ticket holders in the Breedon Stand and Terrace are able to relocate for this game by contacting the ticket office.
Match tickets are on sale for all other supporters. Book online or phone 0116 319 8888 (option 2).
For more details about matchday, see our Matchday Guide.
There is no Matchday Live service this weekend but there are updates on the club social media throughout the day and exclusive free livestream is available on the Tigers website.
