Premiership Women's Rugby enters it's second weekend as Leicester Tigers travel to Exeter Chiefs on Sunday (October 13).
Tom Hudson will be looking to further rotate his squad, after a tough opening battle at Gloucester-Hartpury.
"We learned a lot from that first match (against G-H) and those across the squad have given the coaching staff a lot to think about.
"Exeter Chiefs reached the play-offs last year and will represent another stern test, especially at Sandy Park, but we relish that challenge."
Tigers remain without 12 players away on International duty, who are getting set for the final weekend of WXV action, while Meg Jones continues rehabilitation from injury.
The side are also without Roisin McBrien, who had captained the side in the PWR Up fixtures and the opening weekend, after the backrow sustained a head injury last weekend.
Meanwhile, Chiefs are without a number of internationals themselves, including Dutch captain Linde van der Velden, Canadian Alex Tessier and Red Rose Maddie Feaunati..
"We'll miss Ro certainly, she's a real leader on the field, both verbally and in her relentless work rate in attack and defence.
"Nevertheless, our last match saw us play 72 high-quality minutes without her. Our wider squad has shown it has the talent to compete against the best sides in the league" said Hudson.
Sunday's match saw a new level to the varied, front-foot rugby the side look to embody.
This included leading round one for both dominant carries (40.3% of all carries) and for contestable kicks (30.8%), while flanker Jordan Russell made the most offloads of any forward (four) and her two try assists were the second-highest of the round.
This smorgasbord of attacking weapons will be crucial to success moving forward.
Going into round two, the hosts will be aiming to continue a strong start that saw them clinch a battling 7 - 8 win away at Harlequins, while Tigers will look to continue the attacking approach that brought five tries at Kingsholm, while tightening up the defence.
Last time the two sides met at Sandy Park, Tigers claimed a try bonus point after an almighty score from Charlotte Fray but fell to the hosts by 59 -27. It was a similar story at Mattioli Woods Welford Road as Tigers saw debut scores from Meg Jones, Eva Donaldson and Francesca McGhie as they were defeated 27 - 44 in their first ever match in Premiership Women's Rugby.
"We'll stick to our process on Sunday and keep looking to attack the game; that means every breakdown, every collision, every tackle."
Finally, round two will be the team's final away fixture for close to a month as they then embark on three consecutive home matches in Premiership Women's Rugby.
"We can't wait to be home.
"This will make it three straight away matches now and it's just not the same as running out at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
"We look forward to seeing some old faces and hopefully a few new ones roaring us on from the stands in a couple of weeks time at our double-header day."
Exeter Chiefs will be showing the match live on YouTube on Sunday (October 13) at 3pm.
Leicester Tigers will return to Mattioli Woods Welford Road for three successive Premiership home games.
Starting on Sunday, October 20, there are two bumper double-header days to be a part of, with the men's team battling for the Slater Cup against Gloucester while the women's team will welcome Harlequins for their first home game of the 2024/25 Premiership season.
All three games are on sale now and you can see the full details below:
- Leicester Tigers v Harlequins | Sunday, October 20 (kick off: 5.45pm)
- Leicester Tigers v Trailfinders Women | Sunday, November 3 (kick off: 3pm)
- Leicester Tigers v Bristol Bears | Saturday, November 9 (kick off: 12pm)
Alternatively, make the obvious choice with a 2024/25 Season Ticket.
Guaranteeing entry to every single regular season home match in Premiership Women's Rugby, a season ticket offers the best value and most convenient way to support Leicester Tigers women.
With a host of exclusive benefits and a FREE option for Under-12s, make the obvious choice today!
