Springboks take on Leicester

LEICESTER Tigers have still not confirmed their team for tonight’s match against the touring Springbok XV, but their coach Richard Cockerill has said that Aaron Mauger will captain the team.

The former All Black centre, playing flyhalf for the Tigers, led Leicester in their win in the East Midlands derby last weekend and will continue against the South Africans. However, Leicester will be far from full-strength as several of the players from the English champion club are away doing duty for England.Apart from Mauger, one other player that the Boks will be bumping into who will be familiar to them is Lote Tuqiri. The former Wallaby star and Australian dual international (rugby union and rugby league) has had his contract with Leicester confirmed, and he was reportedly getting stuck in during training sessions this week.Cockerill has confirmed that Tuqiri will be part of the match day squad, but will only come on off the bench as it has been a while since Tuqiri, who was axed by the Australian Rugby Union this past season for disciplinary reasons, has played in a match.Cockerill told the Leicester Tigers website that Tuqiri’s arrival was a big boost for the club, who are currenly fourth in the English Premiership, the competition they won last season. Brendan Venter’s Saracens, who the Boks play later in the tour, are currently top.’To have someone of Lote’s undoubted class available and interested in coming to Leicester is excellent news,’ said Cockerill.’Lote had interest from a lot of clubs around Europe, and the fact that he chose to come here says a lot about him. We’re very happy he has chosen Leicester Tigers. He has been very successful at the top levels of the game and I’m sure our supporters are looking forward to seeing him in a Tigers shirt.’Originally a rugby league star with Brisbane Broncos, the Fiji-born Tuqiri switched to the 15-man code in 2002 and played his Super 14 rugby in New South Wales with the Waratahs. He has appeared in 67 tests for Australia, scoring 31 tries. – Superrugby