Hassell-Collins expecting a physical battle with Tigers

Round 4 is upon us already! Leicester Tigers are the visitors to the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 3pm) for the latest fixture in the Gallagher Premiership.

The Tigers come into the contest in superb form, winning all three of their fixtures so far this campaign and currently sit top of the table. One thing is for sure, this weekend’s match will be a collision.

Ollie Hassell-Collins and the London Irish squad are fully aware of the challenge that presents them at 3pm on Saturday afternoon.

“Tigers are looking good at the moment; they have three wins from three games,” he said.

“They have changed their direction recently, but we know what to expect. The squad are looking forward to Saturday when they come to our house, and we are excited for the challenge.”

The clash with Leicester will be the second home game of the season, the first seeing Irish come back from a 17-point deficit against Sale Sharks to draw the match. It was the first fixture without limited capacity at the Brentford Community Stadium and the Exile Nation certainly made their impression on the game.

“The supporters were immense the Sale Sharks game, especially in that second half,” he explained.

“You can always hear them throughout the 80 minutes, especially the drums! When they are in full voice, there is no question that they spur us on.”

A narrow defeat against Northampton last week was always going to hurt, but it hasn’t dampened the spirits of the Exiles’ squad.

“It’s been a good week of training and preparation this week. Obviously, there were a few work ons from the trip to Northampton Saints.

“We know what we need to do, and we’ve been working hard on it. We have a few more sessions to nail down on the details.

“Leicester are a big and physical team. The battle up front will be important. It will be all about winning the battle with each of our opposite man.”

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