Leicester Tigers travel north this Sunday for a Double Header clash with Sale Sharks.
The women will kick off the day with a battle between two sides still searching for their first win of the season in Premiership Women's Rugby.
Having met earlier in the year, in the PWR Up competition, Sharks were victorious, while last season saw Tigers pick up their first ever top flight victory in this fixture.
"This is an important game for both sides; chasing a first league win of the season and we know it's a big occasion for them with the double header. Managing emotions and clarity in our execution will be key to getting a result here," Tom Hudson said in previewing the trip north.
Captain Roisin McBrien will win her 40th cap, with two returning faces and a reshuffled starting XV from the last match away to Loughborough Lightning.
In the pack, Sophie Benavent returns to prop and a rejigged back-five sees Julia Omokhuale move to the back row and Eva Donaldson named at lock.
Amongst the backs, Natasha Jones is set to make her first league start of the season at fly half, with Claire Gallagher moving to fullback and Tess Feury onto the wing.
Four changes amongst the replacements mean Alana Bainbridge, Tiana Gordon, Morgan Richardson and Amanda Swartz return.
There's an international face off at hooker, as Sale welcome back Springbok hooker Amber Schonert to face off against Red Rose Amy Cokayne, while a battle of similar ferocity brews at the back of the pack, Sale captain and Red Rose Morwenna Talling up against USA Eagle Tahlia Brody, who marked her return to Tigers action last week.
"A key element of our game is our physicality, on both sides of the ball: with post-contact metres in attack and in our gainline defence" added Hudson.
"Sale are a team that also pride themselves on those areas - we're expecting a real battle on Sunday, with a number of big carries and big shots. In the backline Bea Rigoni is a really important player for this team so we must be wary of her all-court game in midfield."
Sharks aren't all about the front up options and possess numerous threats across the backline; wing Holly Thorpe was named PWR's Player of the Week last week, beating four more defenders than any other player in Round 7 (10), while making three clean breaks and scoring a try.
Meanwhile, fullback Nikita Prothero has made the most carries (62), carry metres (545), and clean breaks (six) in the Sharks squad.
Sale will likely give Tigers plenty of the ball and look to back their defence to win turnovers in key positions; the Northerners have averaged more kicks in play than any other team so far this season (18.2 per 80 minutes).
Leicester will look to turn that possession into threats. 26.7% of the Tigers’ carries this season have been dominant – the second-highest rate in the league.
Brody's return was a welcome gainline breaker, with the No. 8 celebrating her return with leading figures in tackles made, the second most metres carried and a try.
The set piece will again be a key focus of the match: Tigers’ scrum success rate is a league-leading 95.2%
Leicester Tigers will return home on Saturday, December 7 when Saracens are welcomed to Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
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