Big guns return to help restore Tigers pride

LEICESTER’S grim season is at a crossroads and Dan Cole knows only a moraleboosting display against French giants Racing will placate their angry fans.

With their European campaign having fallen horribly flat and Tigers lying eighth in the league, pressure is mounting on head coach Matt O’Connor. Leicester have lost six of their last seven games and were last week thrashed 39-0 at Castres.

Cole said: “We’ve had a very disappointing European campaign and with the way recent results have gone, you do take it personally. We’ve got one of the best teams in Europe today and need to restore pride.

“Technically we’ve nothing to play for, but Leicester fans demand the best every time we take the field and that’s what we aim to do. Things haven’t been working for us, but we’re trying to get better and create some momentum.”

Cole takes his place in a Tigers XV that shows 13 changes, with big guns Manu Tuilagi, Matt Toomua, Jonny May and George Ford returning to the backline and Tatafu Polota-Nau and Sione Kalamafoni to the pack.

Cole travels to Portugal with England this week but is desperate to head off on a high note. He added: “Racing need a win to qualify and they’re going to throw everything at us. But we’re at Welford Road and we want to end this competition with a really good win to give our fans something good to cheer.

“It’s a frustrating period and people are under pressure, but we need to take some positives from this.”

Racing are fully loaded, with Remi Tales starting at fly-half, Donncha Ryan at lock and the gifted Fijian Leone Nakarawa at No.8.