OTD: COURAGE LEAGUE 1996 Tigers 23 (Back 1t, Potter 1t, J Liley 1c 2p, R Liley 1c 1p) Northampton 9 Welford Road, 8 December Newly promoted Northampton will get revenge at Franklin’s Gardens in the new year. Tigers end up fourth after being second for a long spell.

OTD: 1984 Tigers 50 (Evans 4t, Underwood 2t, Hare 1t 4c 2p, Cusworth 1t, Richards 1t) Blackheath 14 Welford Road, 8 December With the first fixture in 1892, the teams played 87 times, Tigers winning 58, losing 27, and 2 drawn. The last game was in the cup in 1994.

OTD: HEINEKEN CUP 2007 Tigers 14 (Smith 1t, Goode 3p) Toulouse 9 Welford Road, 8 December From a pool including Leinster and Edinburgh the Tigers finish second and don’t progress; winning their home games but losing away.

Nick Joyce played his 287th and final Tigers game on 7 December 1985 in a 9-15 home defeat to Gloucester. bsky.app/profile/hist...

OTD: COURAGE LEAGUE 1991 Nottingham 14 Tigers 27 (Underwood 2t, Liley 2c 4p, Harris 1d) Beeston, 7 December Tigers win four league games in a row and are top by January. However, they are sixth at the end of the season, way behind champions Bath.

On 7 December 1963 David Matthews made his 109th consecutive Tigers appearance at Waterloo. A record that still stands today and probably always will. bsky.app/profile/hist...

One hour to kick-off.

TIGERS v LA ROCHELLE Just one previous meeting, a 12-45 away defeat on 14 January 2024.

RAMIRO EDOUARDO PEZ Born on 6 December 1978, Ramiro Pez has the accolade of being the first Leicester player to represent a mainland European country.

OTD: HEINEKEN CUP 2008 Tigers 38 (Flood 1t 3c 4p, Mauger 1t, Crane 1t, Smith 1t) Perpignan 27 Welford Road, 6 December Tigers win their first three European fixtures. They would lose away at Perpignan and Ospreys, but did enough to qualify in second place.

Who remembers when away European fixtures weren’t automatically written off with rotated squads?

OTD: HEINEKEN CUP 2004 London Wasps 31 Tigers 37 (Moody 1t, Murphy 1t, Corry 1t, Goode 5p 1d 2c) Adams Park, 5 December Tigers would finish second behind Biarritz in the pool, but in this feisty, parochial affair they would achieve a European double.

OTD: 1981 Tigers 49 (Dodge 2t 1d, Hare 1t 5c 3p 1d, Collington 1t, Jackson 1t, Woodward 1t) Waterloo 3 Welford Road, 5 December First meeting in 1929, they played 51 times, Tigers winning 34, losing 14, with 3 drawn. The last fixture was a cup game in 1992.

Welford…?

TIGERS WOMEN v HARLEQUINS If you’re not at MWWR on Saturday the game is being streamed on YouTube. www.youtube.com/live/wTsHtst... First Game: 6 Jan 2024 (h) lost 24-33 Most Recent: 28 Dec 2024 (a) lost 17-48 Overall: P5 W0 D0 L5 League: P4 W0 D0 L4 Domestic Cups: P1 W0 D0 L1

FRANCK TOURNAIRE Born on 4 December 1972, Franck Tournaire delighted a fan base that revels in the dark charms of the prop when he joined Leicester in 2002.

OTD: 1998 Tigers 16 (van Heerden 1t, Murphy 3p, Stransky 1t) Fiji 22 Welford Road, 3 December The Fijians second game against the Tigers, and some revenge for their defeat in 1973.

OTD: AVIVA PREMIERSHIP 2016 Tigers 19 (Thompstone 1t, Burns 1c 3p, O Williams 1p) Northampton Saints 11 Welford Road, 3 December Third after ten league games, Richard Cockerill would be replaced as DoR a month later by Aaron Mauger. Tigers finish fourth.

OTD: 1983 Tigers 30 (Underwood 2t, Hare 2c 6p) Gloucester 20 Welford Road, 3 December Tigers win their third game in a row against the Cherry & Whites. Not a common occurrence in the 1970s and 1980s.

England and Lions international John Jackett played his last Leicester ame on 2 December 1911 in a 9-3 win at Moseley. He travelled to Dewsbury to run a theatre and play professionally with the local club. bsky.app/profile/hist...

OTD: ZURICH PREMIERSHIP 2001 London Irish 15 Tigers 30 (Jamie Hamilton 1t, Moody 1t, Lloyd 1t, Stimpson 3c 3p) Madejski Stadium, 2 December Two late tries spare Tigers’ blushes. Being forced to wear shirts inside out to avoid a colour clash did not.

OTD: 1945 Harlequins 15 Tigers 4 (Davies 1d) Twickenham, 1 December Playing Quins since 1895, the Tigers are back at HQ for the first time in seven years. Drop goals were worth four points until 1948.

RICHARD JACKETT Dick Jackett was born on 1 December 1880. Like brother John, he represented both Leicester and Great Britain at the 1908 Olympics.

On 30 November 1963 Chalkie White played his last Leicester game in a 9-3 win over Cheltenham. From 1967 to 1982 he would be club coach, taking the Tigers to a new level. bsky.app/profile/hist...

SAIN’T THAT A SHAME On this day in 2002 a 57 game home Premiership unbeaten run came to an end. Fours years and 11 months since the previous Welford Road defeat. It was that lot that did it.

OTD: ZURICH PREMIERSHIP 2003 Tigers 12 (Pez 4p) Bath 13 Welford Road, 29 November One week after a World Cup final Tigers’ seven winners are all back on club duty.

OTD: PILKINGTON CUP 1992 London Scottish 11 Tigers 20 (Liley 1t 2c 1p, Hackney 1t, Harris 1d) Third Round Richmond Athletic Ground, 29 November The cup run starts in the capital and will be successfully completed a few miles away with victory over Harlequins.

AARON JOSEPH DOUGLAS MAUGER New Zealand international and Leicester player and coach Aaron Mauger was born on 29 November 1980.

ROBERT STEWART FRANCIS DWYER Bob Dwyer was born in Waverley, Australia on 29 November 1940. He was Leicester head coach between 1996 and 1998.

WILLIAM HENRY HARE Born on 29 November 1952, Leicester fullback and world record points scorer ‘Dusty’ Hare.

TIGERS WOMEN v LOUGHBOROUGH They’re from up the road, they’re playing it down the road. It’s the double derby. First Game: 3 Dec 2023 (h) lost 12-24 Most Recent: 31 Aug 2025 (h) lost 12-69 Overall: P6 W2 D0 L4 League: P4 W1 D0 L3 Domestic Cups: P2 W1 D0 L1

TIGERS v NEWCASTLE Double cup winners in the 1970s as Gosforth, they won the Premiership in 1998 as Newcastle-Gosforth. First Game: 20 Sept 1969 (h) won 48-6 Most Recent: 31 Oct 2025 (a) won 10-8 Overall: P74 W55 D3 L16 League: P51 W37 D3 L11 Domestic Cups: P10 W8 D0 L2 Europe: P1 W1 D0 L0

TIGERS v NEWCASTLE Double cup winners in the 1970s as Gosforth, they won the Premiership in 1998 as Newcastle-Gosforth. First Game: 20 Sept 1969 (h) won 48-6 Most Recent: 31 Oct 2025 (a) won 10-8 Overall: P74 W55 D3 L16 League: P51 W37 D3 L11 Domestic Cups: P10 W8 D0 L2 Europe: P1 W1 D0 L0

Coming out of retirement to help during an injury crisis, Mike Gavins scored two conversions in a 13-16 defeat to Moseley on 28 November 1970. bsky.app/profile/hist...

OTD: 1936 Tigers 11 (Allen 1t, Barr 1d, Miekle 1d) Bath 0 Welford Road, 28 November It’s a spot the ball competition in a photo that presumably was never used to recruit casual fans to the joys of the game.

OTD: ZURICH PREMIERSHIP 2004 Tigers 21 (Varndell 1t, Smith 1t, Goode 1c 3p) Saracens 9 Welford Road, 27 November It was the 28th visit to Leicester without a win for Saracens, as the Tigers remained in first place.

LAST 10 v RED BULLS Lucky number seven? 31 Oct 25 (a) won 10-8* 31 May 25 (h) won 42-20 5 Oct 24 (a) won 42-10 29 Mar 24 (a) won 19-13 3 Dec 23 (h) won 47-3 30 Sep 23 (h) won 60-7* 7 Jan 23 (a) lost 26-45 19 Oct 22 (h) lost 31-32* 17 Sep 22 (h) won 36-21 21 May 22 (a) won 27-5 *PREM Cup

SAMUEL BROOK VESTY Born on 26 November 1981, Sam Vesty followed great-grandfather Jack Dickens (1909-10), grandfather Bernard (1947), and father Phil (1972-75) playing for Leicester.

IAN ROBERT SMITH Born on 26 November 1957 and with 331 Leicester ppearances, plus stints as captain and coach, Ian ‘Dosser’ Smith.

On 26 November 1923 Doug Prentice scored a try on his Leicester debut in a 6-37 defeat at Neath. The result went the wrong way but he would become one of the most prominent figures in the club’s history. bsky.app/profile/hist...

PETER JOHN WHEELER Born on 26 November 1948, the influence of Peter Wheeler looms large over Leicester on and off the pitch since he journeyed to the Midlands in 1969. He would play for the club over 16 years and represent the Tigers for decades after.

OTD: AVIVA PREMIERSHIP 2012 London Wasps 14 Tigers 12 (Ford 4p) Adams Park, 25 November Tigers are down in fifth following their third defeat. Form would pick up, concluding with a winning visit to Twickenham in May.

OTD: 1995 Tigers 36 (Delaney 1t, Jelley 1t, West 1t, Barlow 1t, Field 1t, Harris 1c 3p) Rugby 19 Welford Road, 25 November Rugby flew high in the top division in the 1990s, but not by 1995, when they were down to Division Three.

OTD: ZURICH PREMIERSHIP 2002 London Irish 27 Tigers 7 (Smith 1t, Booth 1c) Madejski Stadium, 24 November It may be defeat, but at least the Tigers didn’t have to turn their shirts inside out like the previous year. Horak and Gustard start against old colleagues.

OTD: 1934 Tigers 9 (C Barker 1t, Meikle 1t, Pearse 1t) Nuneaton 10 Welford Road, 24 November A crowd of 460 see the first home defeat of the season, with the Tigers in their alternate white shirts.

OTD: ZURICH PREMIERSHIP 2000 Harlequins 13 Tigers 16 (Stimpson 1t 1c 3p) The Stoop, 24 November The Tigers go through the 22 game 2000-01 Premiership season losing just three times with a draw to bring up the hat-trick of titles.

OTD: 1984 Tigers 19 (Robb 1t, Youngs 1t, Hare 1c 3p) Moseley 22 Welford Road, 24 November It’s a double merit table matchup! A defeat in the final Midlands Merit Table and the first National Merit Table. It’s quite likely few realised at the time.

After 11 years playing with Leicester, Bob Barker’s 320th and final appearance was against Moseley in a 6-13 loss on 23 November 1979. bsky.app/profile/hist...

OTD: AVIVA PREMIERSHIP 2014 London Welsh 5 Tigers 26 (H Thacker 2t, Kitchener 1t, Barbieri 1t, Bell 1c) Kassam Stadium, 23 October 3,249 is the smallest attendance for a Tigers game in the season. Leicester move up to fifth after a shaky start to the campaign.

“What the **** have you done?” 28 years ago today… youtu.be/9hOZRHpleH8?...