Aironi don't fear Tigers

Published: Monday, 7. November, 2011 in category Heineken Cup

Aironi are expecting a record Heineken Cup crowd for their opening game in Pool 4 when they entertain European heavyweights Leicester Tigers at the Stadio Brianteo in Monza.

The 18,568 venue will become the 94th ground to host a Heineken Cup match after Aironi opted to move the game from their own 6,000 capacity home at Stadio Luigi Zaffanella.

"We are trying to develop our culture and identity and the move to a bigger stadium at Monzais aimed at spreading the Aironi Rugby gospel," explained head coach Rowland Phillips.

"Leicester Tigers are one of the giants of European rugby and it will be great for our players to challenge them on home soil. We managed to cause an upset last year when we beat Biarritz Olympique at home and that showed what we can do.

"On that day we proved that anything is possible in the Heineken Cup. We knew they had the capacity to blow us away if they got their game right, and it will be very much the same with Leicester.

"That's why we will be concentrating on our own performance and getting right the things that have made us a far more competitive side this season. We were disappointed to lose to Glasgow Warriors last weekend in the league, but happy to have stopped them scoring a try."

Phillips has been able to successfully re-integrate his 11 World Cup players back into his side in recent weeks and will be hoping for a repeat of the performance that saw his team beat Edinburgh in the Pro 12 earlier in the season.

Tigers kicked-off last season's Heineken Cup in Italy with a tough away trip to Benetton Treviso. They eventually won that game 34-29.

ERC