An age-old rivalry is renewed at Kingsholm on Saturday when Gloucester Rugby host Leicester Tigers in Round 13 of the Gallagher Premiership season.
The clubs first met 130 years ago and have now met on 226 occasions. There is nothing to separate them on win count either with 116 each.
There are numerous links on the field too, with Anthony Allen, Adam Balding, Brett Deacon, Jim Hamilton, Freddie Burns, Jonny May and Matt Scott among the most recent players to wear the colours of both teams in Premiership competition.
Gloucester head coach George Skivington, a former Leicester lock, includes four fellow Tigers among his matchday line-up, with Billy Twelvetrees and Ed Slater in the starting line-up and Fraser Balmain returning from injury to join Jamal Ford-Robinson as prop options on the bench.
A 22-14 victory against Worcester in Round 11 ended a run of four successive home defeats for Gloucester who added a win at Wasps last weekend to move off the foot of the table and they are now chasing three wins in a row in the competition for the first time since April 2019.
Tigers have lost just one of the last four league meetings between the teams – at Kingsholm in August 2020.
This season kicked off with a bonus-point victory over Gloucester at Mattioli Woods Welford Road with tries from Kobus van Wyk, Tom Youngs, Charlie Clare and debutant Richard Wigglesworth.
Youngs and Dan Cole are the only Tigers survivors from the team’s last win at Kingsholm, on the opening day of the 2016/17 Premiership season, when four tries in the final half-hour overturned a 31-point deficit on the way to a 38-31 victory.
International wing JP Pietersen began the fightback on that memorable day with a try on his debut, followed by scores from Sam Harrison and Brendon O’Connor before man-of-the-match Harrison, who had moved to fly-half, scored for a second time from another lineout drive on the final whistle. Click here to relive the action.
Twelvetrees, Charlie Sharples and Willi Heinz, who all start for Gloucester on Saturday, also featured in that game, while current Tigers centre Scott was in the Cherry and Whites backline.
Hanro Liebenberg returns to the Tigers line-up this weekend after a two-match ban and head coach Steve Borthwick gives a place in midfield to 19-year-old Dan Kelly alongside Matías Moroni who has been voted Fans’ Favourite in each his last two outings.
“Leicester are in really good form and they’re a very efficient, well drilled team,” said Skivington whose team moved off the foot of the table last week with the win over Wasps.
“They’ve got a very strong set-piece and kicking game, and they’re all on board with executing the plan very well. I think they’ll definitely be a tough challenge.”
Tigers will wear the blue and white change kit at Kingsholm.
Referee Adam Leal is one of Premiership Rugby’s newest officials, in charge for the eighth time in the top flight. He is assisted by Simon McConnell and Sara Cox.
There is live coverage on BT Sport Extra 2HD from 3.00pm.
Or follow all of the action with the Matchday Live service on the Tigers website and app, with updates on social media throughout the day and a full package of reaction after the final whistle.
