TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Clermont Auvergne Vs Leicester Tigers

Richard Wigglesworth has named the Leicester Tigers matchday squad to play ASM Clermont Auvergne in Round 3 of the 2022/23 Champions Cup pool stages.

Ben Youngs captains the side in his 74th Champions Cup appearance for Tigers, equalling Geordan Murphy as the club’s most-capped player in Europe’s top-tier.

Ollie Chessum and Freddie Steward are named as vice-captains for the first time ahead of the European match at Stade Marcel-Michelin.

In a new-look front-row, Charlie Clare is the hooker and James Whitcombe and Joe Heyes the starting props.

Harry Wells and Cameron Henderson are partnered in the second-row, while Chessum, Tommy Reffell and Sean Jansen make up the starting back-row.

Jansen’s selection at No.8 will be 23-year-old’s first starting appearance in Europe for Tigers.

Handré Pollard will make his first appearance in the Heineken Champions Cup for Tigers alongside Youngs as the starting half-backs and, in the midfield, Dan Kelly and Matt Scott are the centre-pairing.

The fixture will be the 21-year-old Kelly’s 50th appearance for Leicester Tigers.

In the back-three, Harry Simmons starts on the wing for a second successive weekend while Freddie Steward shifts from full-back to the other wing and Charlie Atkinson, in his first European appearance for Tigers, starts in the No.15 shirt.

Joe Taufete’e, James Cronin and Will Hurd are the replacement front-rowers.

Olly Cracknell is in line for a return to action after being included on the bench alongside fellow back-rower Emeka Ilione on the Tigers bench.

Jack van Poortvliet, Jimmy Gopperth and Harry Potter are the replacement backs.

Taufete’e and Gopperth - if used - will make their first appearances in the Heineken Champions Cup for Tigers and Ilione, a week after his Gallagher Premiership debut, is in line for his European debut.

STARTING XV

15 Charlie Atkinson [8]

14 Freddie Steward (vc) [65]

13 Matt Scott [55]

12 Dan Kelly [49]

11 Harry Simmons [27]

10 Handré Pollard [2]

9 Ben Youngs (c) [292]

1 James Whitcombe [32]

2 Charlie Clare [66]

3 Joe Heyes [112]

4 Harry Wells [169]

5 Cameron Henderson [25]

6 Ollie Chessum [41]

7 Tommy Reffell (vc) [89]

8 Sean Jansen [13]

REPLACEMENTS

16 Joe Taufete’e [4]

17 James Cronin [9]

18 Will Hurd [16]

19 Olly Cracknell [12]

20 Emeka Ilione [7]

21 Jack van Poortvliet [58]

22 Jimmy Gopperth [7]

23 Harry Potter [54]

Clermont

Clermont have made 7 changes to their team to face Leicester Tigers, with Paul Jedrasiak returning after the victory against Perpignan.

Judicaël Cancoriet, who returned earlier than expected last Saturday, is this time partnered alongside Fritz Lee and Alexandre Fischer.

In the front five: injured Etienne Falgoux, Yohan Beheregaray and Tomas Lavanini (concussion) respectively leave their place to Daniel Bibi Biziwu, Adrien Pélissié and Paul Jedrasiak. 

Killian Tixront slips to the bench in favor of Judicaël Cancoriet. Rabah Slimani, Miles Amatosero, Alexandre Fischer and Fritz Lee are retained. On the bench, we note the presence of Etienne Fourcade recovered from his hamstring muscle injury and revived in a season where he played only one game (on the first day at Stade Français).