Four new signings are included in the 23-man Leicester Tigers squad as they begin the defence of their Aviva Premiership.
All six of Tigers' British & Irish Lions are in the match-day squad with Tom Youngs, Dan Cole, Geoff Parling set to start in the pack for the Aviva Premiership opener against Worcester Warriors on Sunday (2.0).
There is also the surprise inclusion of Ben Youngs and Manu Tuilagi on the bench – both looked set to miss the game with nerve damage in their shoulders.
With club captain Toby Flood injured in the pre-season match against Ulster last week, Louis Deacon will lead out the team on home soil in his 250th appearance for the club.
Half-backs David Mele and Ryan Lamb make their club debuts, with fellow summer signings Neil Briggs and Owen Williams named among the replacements.
The team is:
15 Niall Morris
14 Vereniki Goneva
13 Anthony Allen
12 Dan Bowden
11 Adam Thompstone
10 Ryan Lamb
9 David Mele
1 Logovi'i Mulipola
2 Tom Youngs
3 Dan Cole
4 Louis Deacon (capt)
5 Geoff Parling
6 Tom Croft
7 Julian Salvi
8 Jordan Crane
Replacements: Neil Briggs, Boris Stankovich, Fraser Balmain, Ed Slater, Thomas Waldrom, Ben Youngs, Owen Williams, Manu Tuilagi
