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James O'Connor set to play first Gallagher PREM game in 6 years
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James O’Connor looks set to make his long-awaited Leicester Tigers debut when Geoff Parling’s side travel to face Northampton Saints in the latest instalment of the East Midlands derby on Saturday.
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The Wallabies playmaker, who joined Tigers ahead of the new season, is named among the replacements for the trip to the cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens – marking his first appearance in the matchday 23.
It will be his first Gallagher PREM game since 2019. O’Connor previously played in the competition with London Irish between 2013 and 2015, scoring over 200 points in 31 games, and later with Sale Sharks from 2017 to 2019 before rejoining the Reds.
He’s joined on the bench by loosehead prop Tarek Haffar, who could face his former club after arriving from Saints this summer.
Parling has made several changes to the XV that beat Harlequins 29–19 last weekend. Forwards Hanro Liebenberg, Harry Wells and Tommy Reffell all return to the starting pack, while Will Wand is handed a start in midfield after his two-try showing against Quins.
Emeka Ilione shifts from openside to No.8, with Solomone Kata moving in one place to inside centre to partner Wand.
“It’s great to welcome some familiar faces back into the starting lineup such as Hanro,” said Parling. “The whole squad has trained well to put the team in the best position for derby day. As we saw last week, the bench know they’ll make a huge impact on this game.”
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The clash will be the 258th meeting between the two rivals.
Leicester Tigers:
1 Nicky Smith
2 Jamie Blamire
3 Joe Heyes
4 Harry Wells
5 Ollie Chessum (c)
6 Hanro Liebenberg
7 Tommy Reffell
8 Emeka Ilione
9 Jack van Poortvliet
10 Billy Searle
11 Ollie Hassell-Collins
12 Solomone Kata
13 Will Wand
14 Adam Radwan
15 Freddie Steward
Replacements:
16 Charlie Clare , 17 Tarek Haffar, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Joaquín Moro, 20 Olly Cracknell, 21 Tom Whiteley, 22 James O’Connor, 23 Orlando Bailey
