This clash of fallen titans is being taken seriously

LEICESTER Tigers return to the bread and butter of Premiership action after two remarkable European ties that have seen the club enter the semi-finals of the European Challenge Cup.

The home draw against Ulster is an exciting one, although the fact that the European fixture makers have decreed that Leicester take on the Irish on the back of two six-day turnarounds is a little unfortunate.

Meanwhile, those two European victories have proven that the Tigers are developing a strength in depth unheard of for many years.

Whatever that strength in depth means in Europe, it seems clear from Steve Borthwick’s selection for Bath that he is most interested in the Premiership and the highest finish possible in the league.

While the exploits of the “squad” in the past two weeks leave some open questions as to who actually comprises the Tigers first-choice 15, most would agree that Borthwick has selected close to his strongest available line up for tomorrow.

Bath are in very decent form, having lost only twice in their last nine games but surprisingly, given recent form, sit behind Leicester in the table by just one point and one position.

This used to be the biggest game of the season for both clubs, and for the Premiership as a whole, but that’s a long time ago as both clubs have slipped in recent years.

The Tigers won the home fixture and if they were to win it would be the first away win and Premiership double over Bath since 2011.

Given Bath’s selection it seems that the fixture will provide something of a collector’s item – two largely first-choice teams battling it out.

It’s a long time since we saw that, given the nature of the season and the fact that relegation now seems to be cancelled for the foreseeable future.

It will be fascinating to see whether Leicester’s first choice can step up and perform. One of the most pleasing things for the players pushing from below has been that the squad has started to perform arguably better than the fullyloaded side.

That was true even when beaten, but in adding the winning mentality in the past few weeks there is genuine pressure on the first choice.

This game is definitely winnable, given the improvements we have witnessed recently, if these players can emulate their colleagues. If that happens, top six is not out of the question.

This used to be the biggest game of the season for both clubs, and for the Premiership as a whole