Young players from one of France’s most storied rugby clubs were offered a taste of Leicester Tigers’ historic Welford Road stadium on Tuesday.

More than 40 members of ASM Clermont Auvergne’s academy were given a tour of the ground to learn about the history of the Tigers and see behind the scenes at England’s most successful club side.

The two clubs share a long history of competition as well as former players in common including the likes of Benjamin Kayser, Richard Cockerill and Pat Howard.

Following their tour of the stadium, the Clermont players will also take on Tigers’ young guns in a pre-season exhibition match at the Oval Park training ground.

The Tigers Academy head to France later in August for a similar development tour.

Ged Glynn is in charge of Tigers’ performance pathway and talent identification, and helped organise the exchange.

“We have for a number of years had strong links with Clermont Auvergne and their trip here is a continuation of that,” he said. “The exchange of ideas between the coaching staff and the training encounters between the players are excellent development opportunities.”