Battle of the giants starts season at Kingsholm

The opening Guinness Premiership fixture of the season on Sunday looks like putting the poshed-up Kingsholm pitch to the test as two big packs battle it out on a surface which is sure to be heavy after all the recent rain. Glaws coach Dean Ryan has gone for the big lads with no room in the back row for Andy Hazell and no room in the backs for Iain Balshaw.

Ryan has said many times before that it’s a squad game, and there’s no doubt they’ll all be needed this season.
But the first-game team choice provides a lot of food for thought as Glaws take on one of their biggest rivals for this season’s domestic honours.
Ryan told the Citizen: "We have done all can to prepare for this game under the new regulations, have picked a side accordingly and we are ready. We have made conscious moves about the way we are trying to operate and that will be fundamental to this first block of games."The next five or six could be surprising and my prediction is that we could see some strange things if we don't get consistency in some key areas.
"But any Gloucester-Leicester fixture is massive, no matter what stage of the season it comes in. It's a great opportunity for both sides, particularly after what happened last season, and it will be a great way to start the season."
Meanwhile, fly-half Ryan Lamb (right) says Glaws MUST win some silverware this season. He told the Citizen: "We want to win a trophy.We want to go out there this year and prove a lot of the doubters wrong and make sure we prove it to ourselves.
"That's desperately what the club's talking about this year. We want a trophy. That's our main aim."  
GLAWS: Olly Morgan, James Simpson-Daniel, Mike Tindall (capt), Anthony Allen, Lesley Vainikolo; Ryan Lamb, Rory Lawson; Nick Wood, Andy Titterrell, Carlos Nieto, Will James, Marco Bortolami, Peter Buxton, Alasdair Strokosch, Luke Narraway. Reps: Olivier Azam, Dave Young, Alex Brown, Andy Hazell, Gareth Cooper, Willie Walker, Matthew Watkins.

Aaron Mauger captains the Tigers with Martin Corry injured, while Toby Flood makes his debut at fly-half.
TIGERS: Geordan Murphy, Tom Varndell, Dan Hipkiss, Aaron Mauger (c), Alesana Tuilagi, Toby Flood, Harry Ellis; Marcos Ayerza, George Chuter, Julian White, Richard Blaze, Ben Kay, Tom Croft, Ben Herring, Jordan Crane. Reps: Benjamin Kayser, Dan Cole, Marco Wentzel, Ben Woods, Julien Dupuy, Sam Vesty, Matt Smith. 
Talk about a battle of the giants, yet incredibly there are still tickets available.