Tigers will be '˜fully loaded' for Saints clash, warns Cockerill

Leicester Tigers boss Richard Cockerill says his side will be '˜fully loaded' when they face Saints at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday evening.
Richard Cockerill knows a win at Saints would give Leicester some breathing space (picture: Sharon Lucey)Richard Cockerill knows a win at Saints would give Leicester some breathing space (picture: Sharon Lucey)
Richard Cockerill knows a win at Saints would give Leicester some breathing space (picture: Sharon Lucey)

Tigers come into the crucial east midlands derby on the back of a six-try demolition of Stade Francais in the Champions Cup quarter-finals last Sunday.

The men from Welford Road have scored 11 tries in their past two games and sit four points ahead of fifth-placed Saints in the Aviva Premiership standings.

And Cockerill has warned Jim Mallinder’s men that they will be prepared for the Gardens scrap.

“We will be fully loaded,” the Tigers boss said.

“We are going there to win and there are no injuries from the Stade game.

“Then we can re-group with an eight-day turnaround for the (Champions Cup) semi-final.

“This is a huge game and if we can win, it will put us some distance away from Saints, Quins and Sale.

“It’s important for us to get the result at the weekend and get away from a battle on the last day of the season to qualify for the top four.

“Saints played well in defeat at weekend with important players missing but we have played the last three seasons with guys missing too. It’s just the nature of the sport.

“Franklin’s Gardens is a tough place to go and we have been there and lost by one score on a couple of occasion so we have to be at our best.”