Tigers’ big guns back at club after autumn Tests
INTERNATIONAL STARS RETURN TO TRAINING AHEAD OF EURO MATCH
LEICESTER Tigers have welcomed back all of their internationals to training this week ahead of tomorrow night’s visit of Brive to the Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
Ellis Genge, Ben Youngs and George Ford, all of whom started England’s victory over France on Sunday, reported in at Oval Park on Tuesday.
They follow Fijian internationals Nemani Nadolo and Kini Murimurivalu and Georgian Shalva Mamukashvili, who reported back on Monday.
Assessments are now taking place to decide who is fit and available for the European Challenge Cup opener against the French visitors.
Scrum-half Youngs started all four Autumn Nations Cup games and England’s concluding match of the 2020 Six Nations, the rearranged clash with Italy at the end of October.
He played in 82 per cent of the available minutes across the five matches England played.
Injury prevented fly-half Ford’s involvement in Rome and against Georgia but he returned to feature from the bench against Ireland and start the Tests against Wales and France.
Genge featured in all five Tests over the period, starting against Georgia and France with the rest coming as a replacement.
Leicester Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick explained the process of what happens next with his international players.
“There’s a process of assessments, checking, making sure everybody is fully healthy and then we have a plan in place and their reintroduction to training here and reintroducing them to playing here,” he said.
“At the same time, understanding the right thing for the player and, due to the regulations, players need time for recovery and recharging.
“That’s what we’re looking at. Aled Walters leads that in the sense of managing training loads etc.”
Borthwick also explained the situation regarding mandatory rest weeks his England players must be afforded ahead of the 2021 Six Nations that kicks off in just 60 days.
“They get two weeks off between now and the Six Nations,” he said.
“That’s a discussion between the player and the club. So that’s what we are discussing to ensure that the player gets what is right for them, what they need to help them be at their best.
“All of them are desperate to play for Leicester Tigers, which is good.”
Nadolo and Murimurivalu spent most of the international period self isolating due to an outbreak of Covid-19 within the Fiji camp.
Both players started against Georgia with Nadolo marking his return from international retirement with a hat-trick and going the distance at Murrayfield, while Murimurivalu was replaced with 12 minutes to go.
Tigers hooker Mamukashvili started the match for the opposition, his fourth appearance of the autumn, having started against England and Ireland and coming on as a replacement against Scotland.