Toby Flood returns for Leicester

Leicester Tigers welcome back Six Nations champions Toby Flood, Ben Youngs, Dan Cole and Tom Croft for Saturday’s Aviva Premiership trip to Bath.

With just five rounds remaining, Tigers lead the Aviva Premiership table and director of rugby Richard Cockerill includes four of his returning England internationals.

Cockerill said: “We’ve had a couple of weeks without a club game during the last stages of the Six Nations but most of the guys have been able to recharge their batteries. The internationals have returned, we’ve had a good week of working together again and we’re focused on the run-in now, starting with Bath on Saturday.

“Louis Deacon is unavailable this week after returning from England duty with an Achilles injury, and Martin Castrogiovanni and George Skivington are also injured, but we’ve got some bodies back during the break and it’s great to have some strength in depth throughout the squad again.”

Ed Slater and Steve Mafi team up in the second row, with Croft starting alongside Craig Newby and Thomas Waldrom in the back row.

Jordan Crane and Matt Smith return from injury to take a place among the replacements.

Loosehead prop Marcos Ayerza and wing Alesana Tuilagi make their 100th starting appearances for the club and skipper Newby makes his 50th start.

Leicester Tigers (v Bath Rugby, away, Saturday 4.30pm)

15 Scott Hamilton

14 Horacio Agulla

13 Manu Tuilagi

12 Anthony Allen

11 Alesana Tuilagi

10 Toby Flood

9 Ben Youngs

1 Marcos Ayerza

2 George Chuter

3 Dan Cole

4 Steve Mafi

5 Ed Slater

6 Tom Croft

7 Craig Newby (c)

8 Thomas Waldrom

Replacements

16 Rob Hawkins

17 Boris Stankovich

18 Julian White

19 Jordan Crane

20 Ben Woods

21 James Grindal

22 Jeremy Staunton

23 Matt Smith