Leicester have England half-back duo Toby Flood and Ben Youngs back from injury to stand Saracens.
The fixture marks final Tigers appearances at Welford Road for Horacio Agulla, George Skivington, Billy Twelvetrees and Alesana Tuilagi.
Saracens start Matt Stevens at tight-head and Rhys Gill at loose-head, Will Fraser is preferred at open-side.
Neil de Kock is the starting scrum-half, Charlie Hodgson is at fly-half and Owen Farrell at outside centre.
The fixture pits the finalists of the last two years against one another all over again but if Saracens last parked up at Welford Road in September they came away with a 50-25 win - a record home league defeat for Tigers and a 3rd straight win for the Premiership champions within the East Midlands.
Not because the 1970s, when Harlequins won five times at the trot, has an away side enjoyed this kind of run under the glare of the Crumbie Stand faithful.
But Leicesters director of rugby Richard Cockerill is decided that Sarries run on his home patch will end this weekend and is talking up his charges chances.
Please activate JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
Cockerill praises Tigers turnaround
Tigers Premiership form in 2012 (W10 L1 Pts +356 -192)
- Jan 1 Tigers 28-23 Sale
- Jan 7 - Tigers 29-11 Wasps
- Feb 11 - Exeter 19-11 Tigers
- Feb 19 - Saracens 19-20 Tigers
- Feb 25 - Tigers 42-15 Newcastle
- Mar 4 - Tigers 36-3 Gloucester
- Mar 25 - L Irish 32-41 Tigers
- Mar 30 - Tigers 43-13 Worcester
- Apr 14 - Northampton 21-35 Tigers
- Apr 21 - Harlequins 33-43 Tigers
- May 5 - Tigers 28-3 Bath
"We've got won 10 out of the last 11 league games and that has got us to a house semi-final so were delighted with that and delighted with the spirit of the lads," he told BBC East Midlands Today.
"We're good at semi-finals and knockout stages. Our mentality is excellent so we need to take that into the weekend. Saracens are an excellent side but we're confident."
Cockerill has good reason to be chipper. Not just are his side the shape team within the Premiership (they've got taken five bonus points and scored 29 tries of their last six games) but they've got huge experience of the tip-of-season knockout.
This has happened in a remarkable season that has seen the Tigers languish second from bottom, shorn of internationals and limp with injuries, to roar their approach to finish the regular season second from top.
Saturday might be their eighth successive Premiership play-off semi-final - and the side have never lost a house game at this stage.
Compared, Saracens have made the last three play-offs but will take confidence from their recent visits to LE2, despite the Tigers being seriously under strength in September by using World Cup call-ups.
But there's a school of thought in some quarters that Sarries gameplan isn't very quite as effective because it once was.
While their set-pieces, especially their line-out, remains to be very dependable, their tactics have, occasionally, been found wanting.
Sarries are missing a fine back-row trio in Kelly Brown, Jacques Burger and Andy Saull through injury and their loss was felt.
Please switch on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
Premiership defeats by Worcester, Quins and Leicester point to their Premiership crown slipping but Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall could be well aware that just a last-gasp drop-goal by Geordan Murphy could separate the edges at Vicarage Road in February.
"All of our games with Leicester over the past [few] seasons had been tight affairs, most of them happening to the last five minutes," McCall told BBC Three Counties Radio.
Sarries Premiership form in 2012 (W7 L3 D1 Pts +252 -182)
- Jan 1 - Sarries 15-15 Gloucester
- Jan 8 - Sarries 26-19 Bath
- Feb 12 Wasps 17-22 Sarries
- Feb 19 - Sarries 19-20 Leicester
- Feb 24 - Worcester 16-11 Sarries
- Mar 4 - Sarries 18-12 Northampton
- Mar 23 - Sale 9-45 Sarries
- Mar 31 Sarries 19-24 Quins
- Apr 14 - L Irish 19-28 Sarries
- Apr 20 - Newcastle 3-9 Sarries
- May 5 - Sarries 40-22 Exeter
"So its going to be a mighty contest. History suggests will probably be a detailed match.
"The key is weve won a variety of rugby matches over the past two years.
"Welford Road is a troublesome place to visit. Its a super place to head and play rugby. Theyve got an outstanding crowd who understand the sport rather well.
"Youve got with a purpose to show some composure and control because inevitably were going to be under some pressure now and again. Well must show some resolve."
Both sides have never met at this stage of the season before, but when the last two Premiership finals give any indication of what to anticipate, it's going to be a clash to savour.
LINE -UPS
Leicester: Murphy (capt); Agulla, M Tuilagi, Allen, A Tuilagi; Flood, B Youngs; Ayerza, Chuter, Cole; Skivington, Parling; Mafi, Salvi, Waldrom.
Replacements: T Youngs, Mulipola, Castrogiovanni, Kitchener, Newby, Harrison, Twelvetrees, Hamilton.
Saracens: Goode; Strettle, Farrell, Barritt, Wyles; Hodgson, De Kock; Gill, Brits, Stevens; Borthwick (capt), Botha; Wray, Fraser, Joubert.
Replacements: George, Smit, Nieto, Vyvyan, Kruis, Wigglesworh, Powell, Short.
From WhatNewsToday.net
0 comments:
Post a Comment