Geordan Murphy, Martin Castrogiovanni, Dan Cole, Louis Deacon, Toby Flood, new cap Ben Youngs and Lewis Moody, fresh from his first outing as England captain, have returned from the RBS 6 Nations and they are all raring to go as Tigers enter the final months of the season.
“All the guys are back, there are a few bumps and bruises, but we’re looking after them and they should all be fit for the weekend,” said Cockerill as he prepares for his team’s return to Guinness Premiership action at Worcester Warriors on Saturday.
“They’ve all come straight back in and they want to play. It’s good to have them back and we have to try integrate them quickly. But the whole squad has played a part in getting where we are and there will be some tough selection decisions.”
The trip to Sixways on Saturday will see a return to action for Tigers after two blank weekends.
“We gave the boys time off in the first week then last week we did more rugby, skills and conditioning work,” said Cockerill.
"Now we’ve got everyone back and we’ll give it everything we can.”
As well as welcoming back the internationals, Cockerill was at Franklin’s Gardens on Monday evening to watch a Development XV team which included Harry Ellis, Johne Murphy, Billy Twelvetrees and Lucas Amorisino.
“It was important for them to get some game-time there. We’ve got lots of guys fit and I will decide what is the best for the weekend,” Cockerill said.
“We’ve got some very good competition for places and it is good for us to know that whoever starts and whoever is on the bench will contribute.”
