Northern Edition
Select Edition
Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France
14 - 50
FT
46 - 7
FT
Tomorrow
07:00
Tomorrow
09:30
Tomorrow
09:30
Saturday
05:00
Saturday
06:30
Saturday
07:00
Saturday
07:00
Saturday
07:00
Saturday
07:05
Saturday
09:00
Saturday
09:30
Saturday
09:30
Saturday
11:45
Saturday
12:00
Sunday
07:00
Sunday
07:00
Sunday
09:00
Sunday
12:05
Gallagher PremiershipLeicester

After almost 10 years Varndell set for return to a Leicester Tigers shirt

Tom Varndell, Leicester Tigers. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Premiership Rugby’s record tryscorer Tom Varndell and Italy international wing Leonardo Sarto both start for Leicester Tigers in Saturday’s Premiership Rugby Cup tie against Northampton Saints.

ADVERTISEMENT

Varndell made his last appearance for the club in the Premiership semi-final win over Bath in 2009 before spells with Wasps, Scarlets, Bristol and in France, and he comes into the team after playing for Nottingham in the last two weeks.

Varndell is rated as the Gallagher Premiership’s 11th best left winger in the RugbyPass Index, with an overall RPI of 61, but with impressive stats of 81 for Influence and 84 for Territorial Kick Meters.

Continue reading below…
You may have missed it: The latest rugby news round-up

Video Spacer

The 33-year-old scored 65 tries in 113 appearances for the Tigers and is also Premiership Rugby’s record tryscorer with 92 in top-flight rugby.

Sarto, who has eight tries in 34 Test appearances, joins Varndell and Jordan Olowofela in the back three and Sam Aspland-Robinson starts for the first time in a Tigers shirt.

Coach Brett Deacon includes England Under-20s caps Joe Heyes and Sam Lewis, and Wales Under-20s captain Tommy Reffell in the forward pack in a team captained by Harry Wells.

ADVERTISEMENT

Fred Tuilagi, son of former Tigers wing Freddie and nephew to Henry, Alesana and Manu, is named at number 8. The 6’3, 120kg Halifax born Tuilagi transitioned to backrow during his time in the Tigers academy, after originally starting out as a front row.

Academy prospects Taylor Gough, Jonny Law and Freddie Steward are among the replacements alongside loan signing Curtis Wilson (Doncaster Knights).

Leicester Tigers team v Northampton:
15 Jordan Olowofela
14 Leonardo Sarto
13 Sam Aspland-Robinson
12 Tom Hardwick
11 Tom Varndell
10 Joe Ford
9 Ben White

1 Facundo Gigena
2 Ross McMillan
3 Joe Heyes
4 Sam Lewis
5 Harry Wells (c)
6 Tommy Reffell
7 Will Evans
8 Fred Tuilagi

ADVERTISEMENT

Replacements

16 Harry Mahohey
17 Campese Ma’afu
18 David Feao
19 Cameron Jordan
20 Taylor Gough
21 Jonny Law
22 Curtis Wilson
23 Freddie Steward

Watch: Rugby World Cup Japan city guide – Kumamoto

Video Spacer

ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video
LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

1

All Blacks legend Brad Thorn on the family bond that led to Test coaching debut

1
2

Fissler Confidential: Northampton face Anthony Belleau battle; Sharks eye Irish 9

3

Rejuvenated Freddie Steward rising to the challenge after contract snub

4

The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

220
5

Top 10 Test points scorers of 2025: Sacha just fell short at the death

3
6

Boks need more depth: 5 things on South Africa's Christmas wishlist

19
7

Top 5 players of 2025: England's Red Roses

8

Debuts from heaven and hell: All the newcomers to Test rugby in 2025

3

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

LONG READ

The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Time was, the rugby world cast envious glances at Antipodean coaching. Now, Australia and New Zealand are fishing desperately for new ideas.

220
LONG READ

'To lose one Welsh captain is unfortunate; to lose two might be considered a bit careless'

The departures of Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake has only fuelled the sense of anger and uncertainty over the future of Ospreys.

7
LONG READ

How Glasgow found the bleu-print for beating Toulouse

Extreme precision at the ruck allowed Glasgow to remove the jackaling juggernauts from the Toulouse arsenal.

19

Comments on RugbyPass

f
fl 35 minutes ago
Boks need more depth: 5 things on South Africa's Christmas wishlist

DDA looked less dominant this year than he has done previously, and will be 35 at the RWC. Esterhuizen only started 3 games this season (against Wales, Italy, and in the losing effort against Australia). If, at 31, he isn’t viewed by Rassie as a starting 12, I doubt he will be at 33.

19 Go to comments
f
fl 41 minutes ago
Boks need more depth: 5 things on South Africa's Christmas wishlist

Yeah depth at 12 is likely to be a bit of a problem! Still think backrow is the bigger problem.

19 Go to comments
E
EF 1 hour ago
Dans la forme de sa vie, Matthieu Jalibert peut-il vraiment relancer le débat en équipe de France ?

Is there any possibility to add an “extra player” to the Top100 MRP 2025? And why not Matthieu Jalibert

1 Go to comments
B
Benji7 1 hour ago
Boks need more depth: 5 things on South Africa's Christmas wishlist

Would LOVE to see Paul de Villiers given a chance at 6 in 2026. He’s been outstanding. Plus after Kolisi and Van Staden, who else is there?

Looking forward to seeing Elrigh Louw back, hopefully at 7! Great replacement for PSDT.



...

19 Go to comments
B
Benji7 1 hour ago
Boks need more depth: 5 things on South Africa's Christmas wishlist

The Boks have DDA and Esterhuizen at 12. But 2026 is the year they need to start playing Ethan Hooker at 12. It’s his 1st choice position too.

19 Go to comments
c
cw 2 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

He is certainly no Skelton. His dimensions are similar to Eben at 204 cm / 120kg v 203 cm / 122kg. Though I take your point - the Boks churn out monsters in huge numbers. But we do have our own collection of monsters Tamaiti at 196 cm / 144 kg (combined 340) and Tosi at 193 / 140 kg (333) are as big as the biggest Bok monsters eg Snyder is 207cm / 130kg (337). And the point of having Vaa’i or Holland or Barrett at 4, 5 and or 6 and combined with others like Tuipulotu

and Parker - is that in “physics” theory at least their combined power matches that of the Boks - and provides the base for a rock solid scrum. And from memory, when Vaa’i or Holland were on the blindside, the NZ scrum did not go backwards.



...

220 Go to comments
c
cw 3 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Cannot disagree - but it is interesting to note in those games the Boks were materially bigger (@ 38 point weight and height diferential where as the ABs and Boks were about even at Eden Park) and the English 6-2 combination was a clear point of difference. I also think the Boks had a blinder.

And to your last point - isnt that weird? An AB pack of the present dimensions should be at least achieving parity with both the Boks and Poms. Your post England game article highlighted a potential problem



...

220 Go to comments
c
cw 3 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

This is a huge piece of data NB! Thanks for sharing it. It absolutely confirms our intuitions about how Robertson is wanting to play the game. It is based on set piece dominance and hence the “powering” up of the forwards. The ABs midfield strategies are so muddled its no wonder the team struggles. Look forward to your post Christmas analysis re attack!!

220 Go to comments
J
JW 4 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

What makes you think Jake is?

220 Go to comments
J
JW 4 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

He will have a clause, they all do these days.

220 Go to comments
J
JW 4 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

With PMCD and I sorry.

New Zealand had more meters carried but England had more meters gained, so England had a much narrower margin between the two, or more specifically, because NZ had a much wider margin (gained only half or meters carried) that it proved England had a good rush D (the topic of discussion).



...

220 Go to comments
c
cw 4 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Thanks JW for clarifying your point and totally agree. The ABs are still trying to find their mojo” - that spark of power that binds and defines them. Man the Boks certainly found theirs in Wellington! But I think it cannot be far off for ABs - my comment about two coaches was a bit glib. The key point for me is that they need first a coach or coaches that can unlock that power and for me that starts at getting the set piece right and especially the scrum and second a coach that can simplify the game plans. I am fortified in this view by NBs comment that most of the ABs tries come from the scrum or lineout - this is the structured power game we have been seeing all year. But it cannot work while the scrum is backpeddling. That has to be fixed ASAP if Robertson is going to stick to this formula. I also think it is too late in the cycle to reverse course and revert to a game based on speed and continuity. The second is just as important - keep it simple! Complex movements that require 196 cm 144 kg props to run around like 95kg flankers is never going to work over a sustained period. The 2024 Blues showed what a powerful yet simple formula can do. The 2025 Blues, with Beauden at 10 tried to be more expansive / complicated - and struggled for most of the season.

I also think that the split bench needs to reflect the game they “want” to play not follow some rote formula. For example the ABs impact bench has the biggest front row in the World with two props 195cm / 140 kg plus. But that bulk cannot succeed without the right power based second row (7, 4, 5, 6). That bulk becomes a disadvantage if they don’t have a rock solid base behind them - as both Boks showed at Eden Park and the English in London. Fresh powerful legs need to come on with them - thats why we need a 6-2 bench. And teams with this split can have players focused only on 40 minutes max of super high intensity play. Hence Robertson needs to design his team to accord with these basic physics.



...

220 Go to comments
c
cw 4 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Yes agree - this AB’s performance in London was bewildering - it should have been their statement game - and it was - just the wrong statement.

220 Go to comments
J
JW 5 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

I just saw Kemeny’s try on the highlights lol

What a run him and Genge, love the leagues where you can still see those sorts of plays.



...

220 Go to comments
W
WN 6 hours ago
Top 10 Test points scorers of 2025: Sacha just fell short at the death

Ranked points per match

1



...

3 Go to comments
M
MO 8 hours ago
'To lose one Welsh captain is unfortunate; to lose two might be considered a bit careless'

Merry Christmas, mate. Sadly a miserable one for too many in Welsh rugby. Those responsible should be directed to the workhouse.

7 Go to comments
R
Rob 9 hours ago
Boks need more depth: 5 things on South Africa's Christmas wishlist

11 12 13 14 assuming no new talents push through I’d have thought would look like:

KLA Esturheizan Moodie Hooker.



...

19 Go to comments
C
CS 10 hours ago
Top 10 Test points scorers of 2025: Sacha just fell short at the death

Morgane Bourgeois (France) 106.

3 Go to comments
C
CS 11 hours ago
Top 10 Test points scorers of 2025: Sacha just fell short at the death

Zoe Harrison (England) 101. Any others? You didn't state it was only men!

3 Go to comments
P
PMcD 11 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

I don’t think AUS are alone Ardy, I think IRE (and Leinster) are suffering a similar thing, as are ENG where the Lions players have been dropping like flies with injuries and they have been limiting their playing time since returning after the Lions.

I think an awful lot went into that Lions series but the toll has been felt since in AUS, IRE & ENG who provided the majority of the players.



...

220 Go to comments
Close
ADVERTISEMENT