The Leicester Tigers matchday squad for Tuesday evening’s Premiership Rugby Cup game against London Irish at Mattioli Woods Welford Road has been named.
Included in the side are 13 players who featured in the club’s most recent outing in this season’s Cup competition away to Newcastle Falcons.
The starting side includes three debutants in Joe Browning, Lewis Chessum and Emeka Ilione, as well as three more players – Finn Carnduff, Tim Hoyt and Joseph Woodward – in line for their first senior appearance from among the replacements.
Olly Robinson will captain the side at openside flanker.
Sam Edwards and back-rower Sean Jansen, who both debuted in earlier rounds of this season’s Cup campaign, will make their first appearances at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
The matchday squad features 11 players who have graduated from the Tigers Academy, including the trio of Carnduff, Koroiyadi and Woodward who are part of this season’s Under-18 programme.
Up front, Charlie Clare starts at hooker with Francois van Wyk and Will Hurd the starting props.
Tomiwa Agbongbon and Chessum are partnered in the second row, with Ilione, Robinson and Jansen making up the back row.
Tom Cowan-Dickie returns from loan with Championship club Cornish Pirates to join Dan Richardson, debutants Hoyt and Carnduff, and Simon Koroiyadi as the replacement forwards.
Edwards and Dan Lancaster are the starting half-backs, with Juan Pablo Socino and Kini Murimurivalu included in the Leicester midfield.
In the Tigers back-three, Bryce Hegarty is at full-back with Hosea Saumaki and Browning the starting wings.
Jonny Law, Woodward and Jacob Cusick are the replacement backs.
STARTING XV
15 Bryce Hegarty [12]
14 Joe Browning *
13 Kini Murimurivalu [34]
12 Juan Pablo Socino [7]
11 Hosea Saumaki [9]
10 Dan Lancaster [3]
9 Sam Edwards [2]
1 Francois van Wyk [14]
2 Charlie Clare [44]
3 Will Hurd [5]
4 Tomiwa Agbongbon [3]
5 Lewis Chessum *
6 Emeka Ilione *
7 Olly Robinson [4]
8 Sean Jansen [1]
REPLACEMENTS
16 Tom Cowan-Dickie [5]
17 Dan Richardson [3]
18 Tim Hoyt *
19 Finn Carnduff *
20 Simon Koroiyadi [1]
21 Jonny Law [4]
22 Joseph Woodward *
23 Jacob Cusick [3]
London Irish: 15 Henry Arundell, 14 Cillian Redmond, 13 Will Joseph, 12 Phil Cokanasiga, 11 Michael Dykes, 10 Noel Reid, 9 Hugh O’Sullivan, 1 Allan Dell, 2 Mike Willemse, 3 Ciaran Parker, 4 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 Jack Cooke (c), 6 Ben Donnell, 7 Lucas Brooke, 8 Josh Smart.
Replacements: 16 Tadgh McElroy, 17 Facundo Gigena, 18 Luke Green, 19 Chunya Munga, 20 Ben Atkins, 21 Caolan Englefield, 22 Jacob Atkins, 23 Alex Harmes.
