It's matchday three in the Gallagher Premiership and Leicester Tigers make the trip north take on a tough Newcastle Falcons outfit at Kingston Park. 

Indeed Tigers have been well travelled to start the new season, having come away from a round one road-trip to Exeter with a win. 

Newcastle have looked more than competitive in their opening two fixtures, and have placed a stake in the ground that they are targeting a home win against Tigers to get their campaign going. 

Tigers have inserted Scottish international Will Hurd into the starting lineup at tighthead prop, with Academy product Joseph Woodward earning his Gallagher Premiership debut in the centres. 

Will Wand will make his debut for the club if required from the bench. 

Newcastle are without flyer Adam Radwan but have been boosted by the return of Argentinian international, Pedro Rubiolo.

The Tigers have won three of their last five away games in Premiership Rugby.

Leicester’s only defeat in their last nine Premiership Rugby meetings with Newcastle was 26 -45 at Kingston Park in January 2023.

The Tigers have won on five of their last six visits to Newcastle.

Overall, the two clubs have met on 71 previous occasions with Leicester winning 52 and Newcastle 16 with three games drawn. Twenty-eight of those encounters have been at Kingston Park, where the Tigers record is won 17, drawn 2, lost 9.

Freddie Steward made more post-contact metres than any other player in Round 2 (25). He also beat five defenders and made 184 metres with the boot.

Harry Wells made 16 tackles without missing one against Bath, the joint-most tackles made without a miss in a match this season.

Tigers have won the joint-most scrum penalties (eight) and made the most maul metres (83) outright this season.

Referee: Jack Makepeace

Assistant referees: Adam Leal, Peter Allan

TMO: Hamish Smales