Manu Tuilagi set for Welford Road return

Manu Tuilagi will play at Mattioli Woods Welford Road for the first time since his move to France in 2024, after being named at inside-centre in a much-changed Bayonne team for Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup tie against former club Leicester Tigers.

Tuilagi, who made the Top 14 Dream Team in 2024/25 – his first season across the channel – has made nine appearances this term but has yet to cross the whitewash.

The former England international, whose career at Leicester was very stop-start due to his well-documented injury problems, has Orlando Bailey as his opposite number in a match between two winless sides in Pool 3.

Bailey is 10 years younger and 10kgs lighter than Tuilagi, who is one of only a handful of players to retain their place in the Bayonne starting XV following last week’s crushing 62-22 defeat at Montpellier, which left the club faltering in ninth place in the Top 14 standings.

Former Newcastle livewire, Mateo Carreras, is not included in the visitors’ matchday 23, denying the Welford Road faithful what would have been an intriguing duel with another pocket-rocket, Adam Radwan.

For Leicester, flanker Tommy Reffell returns as one of three changes from the team that dispatched Saracens, the others being Charlie Clare at hooker for Jamie Blamire, who is rotated to the bench, and the inclusion of Gabriel Hamer-Webb on the left wing after a three-month lay-off for a hamstring injury.

Hamer-Webb makes his Champions Cup debut for a third different club, having previously played in the competition for Bath and Cardiff.

Leicester: 15. Freddie Steward, 14. Adam Radwan, 13. Will Wand, 12. Orlando Bailey, 11. Gabe Hamer-Webb, 10. Billy Searle, 9. Jack van Poortvliet, 1. Nicky Smith, 2. Charlie Clare, 3. Joe Heyes, 4. Cameron Henderson, 5. Ollie Chessum (c), 6. James Thompson, 7. Tommy Reffell, 8. Olly Cracknell
Replacements: 16. Jamie Blamire, 17. Tareq Haffar, 18. Will Hurd, 19. Joaquin Moro, 20. Emeka Ilione, 21. Tom Whiteley, 22. Joe Woodward, 23. George Pearson.

Bayonne: 15. Tom Spring, 14. Gabriel Lapegue, 13. Guillaume Martocq, 12. Manu Tuilagi, 11. Victor Hannoun, 10. Pyrénées Boyle-Tiatia, 9. Baptiste Tilloles, 1. Ignacio Calles, 2. Lucas Martin, 3. Pascal Cotet, 4. Arthur Iturria (c), 5. Alvaro Garcia Iandolino, 6. Rob Leota, 7. Raphael Marchesin, 8. Manex Ariceta
Replacements: 16. Facundo Bosch, 17. Emosi Tumania, 18. Junior Tagi, 19. Ewan Johnson, 20. Noa Traversier, 21. Herschel Jantjies, 22. Jonah Thompson, 23. Bastien Rasal