Harlequins v leicester preview: team news, kick-off time, line-ups and stats for the aviva premiership clash - ruck

* HARLEQUINS HOST LEICESTER IN THE AVIVA PREMIERSHIP ON FRIDAY NIGHT: 19:45 KICK-OFF * QUINS MAKE FIVE CHANGES TO THEIR RUN-ON SIDE * MANU TUILAGI, BRENDON O’CONNOR AND ED SLATER RETURN FROM

INJURY TO START FOR TIGERS HARLEQUINS HOST LEICESTER TIGERS AT THE STOOP IN ROUND 13 OF THE AVIVA PREMIERSHIP ON FRIDAY EVENING. Harlequins and Leicester Tigers are two wounded beasts

following last weekend’s defeats and will both look to bounce back when Quins have made five personnel changes to the starting XV, which played Gloucester Rugby last week. Dave Ward moves

from the openside flank and begins in the front row alongside Adam Jones and Mark Lambert. James Horwill captains the side in the second row with Nick Easter returning at number 8. In the

backs, Winston Stanley is named at outside-centre, with Ben Botica starting at fly-half. Botica replaces Nick Evans who underwent surgery on a broken leg this week; the fly-half is expected

to be out for 12 weeks with a return in early May. Among the replacements Sam Egerton, who joined Harlequins from England Sevens as injury cover for Karl Dickson, will look to make his debut

for the Club. Meanwhile, Manu Tuilagi, Brendon O’Connor and Ed Slater return from injury to start for Leicester. Tuilagi has missed the last three games with a hamstring strain, while

O’Connor makes his first appearance since the derby match against Northampton Saints in early January. Club captain Slater returns after a seven-week absence with a knee injury. There is

also a place in the matchday squad for the first time for former South Africa captain Jean de Villiers who is named among the replacements. De Villiers has recovered from the fractured jaw

which cut short his World Cup and a subsequent calf problem which delayed his debut for Tigers. ------------------------- KEY STATS * HARLEQUINS HAVE NOT LOST TWO GAMES IN A ROW AT THE STOOP

SINCE SEPTEMBER 2013 * LEICESTER WERE VICTORIOUS 22-19 WHEN THE TWO CLUBS MET AT WELFORD ROAD IN ROUND TWO, THOUGH HAVE NOT ACHIEVED A SEASON’S DOUBLE OVER THE LONDONERS SINCE 2010/11 *

TIGERS HAVE ALSO LOST ON THEIR LAST FOUR VISITS TO THE STOOP IN ALL TOURNAMENTS * HARLEQUINS HAVE NOW GONE ON A RUN OF THREE AVIVA PREMIERSHIP RUGBY GAMES WITHOUT A WIN

------------------------- PLAYERS TO WATCH HARLEQUINS: MARLAND YARDE ------------------------- LEICESTER: MANU TUILAGI ------------------------- LINE-UPS HARLEQUINS: 15. ROSS CHISHOLM, 14.

MARLAND YARDE, 13. WINSTON STANLEY, 12. HARRY SLOAN, 11. TIM VISSER, 10. BEN BOTICA, 9. TITO TEBALDI, 1. MARK LAMBERT, 2. DAVE WARD, 3. ADAM JONES, 4. JAMES HORWILL©, 5. CHARLIE MATTHEWS, 6.

MAT LUAMANU, 7. LUKE WALLACE, 8. NICK EASTER REPLACEMENTS:16. ROB BUCHANAN, 17. OWEN EVANS, 18. KYLE SINCKLER, 19. GEORGE MERRICK, 20. JAMES CHISHOLM, 21. SAM EGERTON, 22. TIM SWIEL, 23.

MATT HOPPER LEICESTER: 15 MATHEW TAIT, 14 PETER BETHAM, 13 MATT SMITH, 12 MANU TUILAGI, 11 TELUSA VEAINU, 10 FREDDIE BURNS, 9 SAM HARRISON, 1 MARCOS AYERZA, 2 LEONARDO GHIRALDINI, 3 FRASER

BALMAIN, 4 ED SLATER (C), 5 MIKE FITZGERALD, 6 TOM CROFT, 7 BRENDON O’CONNOR, 8 LAURENCE PEARCE REPLACEMENTS:16 HARRY THACKER, 17 RICCARDO BRUGNARA, 18 LOGOVI’I MULIPOLA, 19 GRAHAM

KITCHENER, 20 JORDAN CRANE, 21 JONO KITTO, 22 OLI BRYANT, 23 JEAN DE VILLIERS ------------------------- DATE: Friday, February 19 VENUE: Twickenham Stoop KICK-OFF: 19:45 GMT REFEREE: JP

Doyle ASSISTANT REFEREES: Roy Maybank, Wayne Falla TMO: Sean Davey -------------------------