OTD: COURAGE LEAGUE 1990 Leicester 25 (B Smith 1t 1d, Key 1t, Liley 1c 4p) Nottingham 9 Welford Road, 13 October In 1990 the big East Midlands rival was north. Future Tigers Kilford, Hackney, Potter and Gabriel can’t prevent the home side, featuring ex-Notts Back, remaining top after three games.

OTD: RUGBY WORLD CUP 1991 New Zealand 31 (Brooke 1t, Innes 1t, Tuigamala 1t, Hewett 1t, Fox 3c 3p) Italy 21 (Cuttitta 1t, Bonomi 1t, Dominguez 2c 3p) Welford Road, 13 October Leicester welcomes the holders, and the Italians give them a little scare.

ON THIS DAY: 1984 Leicester 55 (Evans 2t, Stuart Redfern 2t, Wells 1t, Williams 1t, Youngs 1t, Hare 6c 5p) Richmond 21 Welford Road, 13 October 1984 The Tigers would provide inspiration for the famously saucy Stade Francais calendars.

STEPHEN WILLIAM BORTHWICK Born on 12 October 1979, Steve Borthwick guided Leicester to the club’s first Premiership title in nine years.

OTD: 1946 Leicester 6 (Lambert 1t, Watkin 1p) Neath 6 Welford Road, 12 October First meeting in 1908, Neath were back on the fixture card for the first time since October 1938.

MARTIN EDWARD CORRY Born on 12 October 1973, Lions, Leicester, and England captain Martin Corry.

Here we go again. #NORvLEI youtu.be/a4MjLOaS4aw?...

OTD: HEINEKEN CUP 2009 Leicester Tigers 32 (J Murphy 1t, Twelvetrees 1t 3c 1p, Amorosino 1t, Staunton 1t) Ospreys 32 Welford Road, 11 October Tigers would fail to beat the Ospreys twice, losing the return in January and would exit at the pool stage. However, a good debut for Billy Twelvetrees.

OTD: ZURICH PREMIERSHIP 2003 Gloucester 24 Leicester Tigers 3 (Stimpson 1p) Kingsholm, 11 October With a group of Tigers busy winning a World Cup, this was the second game in a run of five Premiership defeats, even with some current and future big names in the side.

OTD: 1980 Leicester 38 (Dodge 2t, Hare 1t 3c 4p, Barnwell 1t, Joyce 1t) Richmond 6 Welford Road, 11 October It’s a third win in a row against Richmond. The clubs would meet once a season in the pre-league days, alternating venues each year.

OTD: HEINEKEN CUP 2002 Neath 16 Leicester Tigers 16 (Healey 1t, Stimpson 1c 3p) The Gnoll, 11 October The holders start their campaign with a hard thought affair watched by 6,834. It would be the last fixture against the Welsh All Blacks.

TIGERS v NORTHAMPTON Leicester first played ‘Northampton’ in their third game in 1880. It was however a different club to the Saints. First Game: 3 Mar 1888 (h) won 4-0 Most Recent: 21 Mar (a) won 33-0 Overall: P257 W145 D19 L93 League: P65 W41 D2 L22 Domestic Cups: P16 W9 D0 L7 Europe: None

OTD: COURAGE LEAGUE 1992 Leicester 21 (Potter 1t, Liley 1t 1c 3p) West Hartlepool 8 Welford Road, 10 October The visitors were relegated at the end of the season, but would spend five years in the top flight in the 1990s. The days of home change kits. And what a kit.

OTD: RUGBY WORLD CUP 1999 Italy 25 Tonga 28 Welford Road, 10 October Both sides would concede 101 points in games against New Zealand and England respectively, so this tight affair may have been a relief. Attendance: 10,224.

BARRY JOHN EVANS Born on 10 October 1962, flying Leicester and England winger, and record post-war try scorer, Barry Evans.

OTD: 1886 Leicester 11 (Coleman 2t, Morley 1t, Smith 1t, McKechnie 2c, Parsons 1d) Town & District XX 0 Victoria Park, 9 October Big opening day opponents on Vicky Park - at least in player numbers. Tigers sported the chocolate and orange hoops they wore from 1884 to 1887.

OTD: 1982 Leicester 21 (Johnson 1t, Wheeler 1t, Hare 2c 3p) Richmond 8 Welford Road, 9 October Traditionally playing without a No.13, Richmond first played Leicester in 1898. 101 years later the professional side, along with London Scottish, ‘merged’ into London Irish.

JULIAN MICHAEL SALVI Born on 9 October 1985, Julian Salvi played 112 times for Leicester between 2011 and 2015.

LAST 10 v. SAINTS 21 Mar 25 (a) won 33-0 1 Feb 25 (h) won 54-33* 1 Nov 24 (a) lost 12-31* 12 Oct 24 (h) won 24-8 20 Apr 24 (a) lost 17-40 18 Nov 23 (h) won 26-17 28 Jan 23 (h) lost 18-19 24 Sep 22 (a) won 41-21 27 Jun 22 (h) won 27-14 11 Feb 22 (h) won 35-20 *PREM Cup

OTD: ANGLO-WELSH LEAGUE 1996 Leicester Tigers 60 (W Johnson 1t, Miller 1t, West 1t, Underwood 2t, Jelley 1t, Hackney 1t, Lloyd 1t, Austin 1t, J Liley 6c 1p) Bridgend 22 Welford Road, 8 October We’re still talking about Anglo-Welsh leagues. We have had one previously which was quietly abandoned.

ROBIN STRANG MONEY Robin Money played for Leicester 258 times over a decade, and made his club debut against Rugby on 8 October 1968.

OTD: 1964 Leicester 31 (Harrison 3t, Evans 1t, Stewart 1t, Willars 1t, Martin 5c 1p) A Combined Midlands XV 8 Welford Road, 8 October Floodlit rugby comes to Leicester, in a specially arranged fixture to mark the occasion.

OTD: COURAGE LEAGUE 1988 Leicester 15 (Hare 5p) Orrell 27 Welford Road, 8 October If Tigers had a bogey side in the 1980s - aside from everyone’s bogey side Bath - it was Orrell. It would take four attempts in the league before they finally beat them.

A tremendous response…

Alfred Hind was the second Tigers player to be capped in 1905. He made his club debut in an 11-0 Welford Road win over Exeter on this day in 1899. bsky.app/profile/hist...

WILLIAM JAMES FOREMAN Billy Foreman first played for Leicester against Gloucester on 7 October 1893. He would play 358 times, and is 16th on the all-time list.

LOUIS PAUL DEACON Born on 7 October 1980 England international Louis Deacon played 274 times for Leicester over 14 years.

SIDNEY HERBERT PENNY Born on 7 October 1875, Sid Penny is second on the all-time Leicester appearance list, playing 491 times for the club.

OTD: 1984 Coventry 6 Leicester 38 (Wells 2t, Dexter 1t, Foulkes-Arnold 1t, Williams 1t, Youngs 1t, Hare 4c 2p) Coundon Road, 6 October Tigers get revenge after a John Player Cup loss in the previous game. But don’t feel too smug, Cov knock them out again five months later.

OTD: 1982 Midlands 25 Fiji 16 Welford Road, 6 October Local rivals regularly combined in October and November against that season’s tourists. In the early 1980s Welford Road saw a hat-trick of wins for the Midlands over Australia, Fiji and New Zealand.

OTD: 1973 Leicester 16 (Old 1t 1d, Wheeler 1t Ingleby 1c 1p) Coventry 22 Welford Road, 6 October Cov, and the legendary David Duckham, give Tigers their second defeat in their ninth fixture, after an opening day loss at Bedford.

OTD: ZURICH PREMIERSHIP 2002 Leicester Tigers 22 (Corry 1t, West 1t, Back 1t, Stimpson 2c 1p) Bath 20 Welford Road, 5 October After four successive Premiership titles, a so-so start with two wins from four games. The Bath victory would start a winning streak of five matches.

DORIAN EDWARD WEST Born on 5 October 1967, Leicester lanker turned hooker, turned England captain, turned World Cup winner, Dorian West.

TIGERS v HARLEQUINS Regular opponents since the great schism of 1895, when clubs loyal to the RFU had to find replacement opponents for the professional sides forming the Northern Union. First Game: 28 Dec 1895 (h) lost 0-6 Most Recent: 19 Sep 2025 (a)won 35-17 #LEIvHAR

OTD: JOHN SMITH’S MERIT TABLE 1986 Coventry 12 Leicester 13 (Cusworth 1t, Richards 1t, Hare 1c 1p) Coundon Road, 4 October Part of a run of seven Tigers wins. After 118 years the last senior game was in the 1998 Tetley’s Bitter Cup until last season’s cup games.

OTD: 1924 Leicester 0 New Zealand 27 Welford Road, 4 October 35,000, still the record Welford Road attendance, watched the second All Blacks visit to Britain. The ‘Invincibles’ played 32 and won 32. The game generated a profit for the club of £1,000.

TIGERS v HARLEQUINS Regular opponents since the great schism of 1895, when clubs loyal to the RFU had to find replacement opponents for the professional sides forming the Northern Union. First Game: 28 Dec 1895 (h) lost 0-6 Most Recent: 19 Sep 2025 (a)won 35-17 #LEIvHAR

OTD: 1981 Leicester 28 (Barnwell 2t, Woodward 1t, Hare 2c 4p) Coventry 6 Welford Road, 3 October Coventry week continues. 4,472 saw an early appearance at Welford Road for future Tiger and England tourist Tim Buttimore (1985-91, 98 apps, 15 tries, 62 pts).

OTD: 1973 Leicester 15 (B Jones 1t, Wheeler 2p, Money 1d, Ingleby 1c) Randwick 10 Welford Road, 3 October An early cross-hemisphere club fixture, as an early career place-kicking Peter Wheeler helps defeat the Sydney Premiership champions - the ‘Galloping Greens’.

Welford Road Get 10% off until midnight with the discount code: THE-TIGERS Visit: matthewjiwood.com/rugby/welfor... Prints available in A4, A3, A2 & A1 with optional framing #LeicesterTigers #TigersFamily #Rugby @historytigers.bsky.social

OTD: 1891 Leicester 41 (Edmonds 2t, Nutt 2t, Sturges 2t, Ward 1t, Abraham 1t, Stewart 1t, W Watts 1t, 7c Wolverton 0 Belgrave Cricket & Cycle Ground, 3 October The season opens with new jerseys. Tigers really do earn their stripes (not hoops) which are worn until 1895.

You need to be as hard as nails to be a Johnson playing for Leicester. On this day in 1976 Steve Johnson broke five ribs making his club debut at Coventry in a 15-18 defeat. bsky.app/profile/hist...

OTD: 1982 Coventry 12 Leicester 14 (Kenney 1t, Whitcombe 1t, Hare 2p) Coundon Road, 2 October It was never the most high profile competition, but this was the narrowest victory when Tigers finished with a 100% record in the season’s Midland Merit Table.

OTD: 1998 Leicester Tigers 20 (Stransky 1t 1c 2p, Stuart 1t, Goode 1c) Cardiff 35 Welford Road, 2 October Rebel clubs Cardiff and Swansea spent a season playing English Premiership sides after being expelled from the Welsh League.

THE NEW STAND 105 years old today, ‘The New Stand’ was officially opened on 2 October 1920 by RFU President Ernest Prescott ahead of the Leicester versus Headingley fixture. It cost £21,000.

LAST 10 v HARLEQUINS 19 Sep 25 (a) won 35-17* 26 Apr 25 (h) won 40-7 28 Dec 24 (a) draw 34-34 26 Jan 24 (a) won 20-19 11 Nov 23 (h) lost 25-29 6 May 23 (h) lost 17-20 16 Oct 22 (a) lost 19-27 23 Apr 22 (a) lost 20-26 5 Dec 21 (h) won 16-14 15 May 21 (h) won 35-29 *PREM Cup

OTD: 1986 Leicestershire Centenary XV 33 Japan 22 Welford Road, 1 October As part of the county’s centenary celebrations a Tigers loaded side sees off the tourists. An England XV would go on to defeat Japan 39-12.

OTD: 1983 Leicester 39 (Dodge 1t, Cusworth 1t 1d, Dexter 1t, Dodson 1t, Tebbutt 1t, Youngs 1t, Dodge 3c 2p) Coventry 9 Welford Road, 1 October Coventry were the Tigers’ fifth ever opponents in 1880, and the hosts would be delighted with an unusually large win.