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This is Leicestershire --
Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill is treating today's pre-season fixture with Ulster as a dress rehearsal for their Aviva Premiership opener.
Tigers begin the defence of their title against Worcester Warriors at Welford Road a week tomorrow.
Cockerill says today's game with the Irish province will give his side an ideal opportunity to put themselves to the test.
Throw in the fact that Ulster will be Leicester's first opponents in this season's Heineken Cup campaign, and you have all of the ingredients for the word "friendly" to be put to the ultimate test.
"Ulster will be a dress rehearsal for our Premiership opener and so we will be putting a strong side out," said Cockerill.
"They are a good side, as we have found out in the past, and they will bring a strong side over too because they start their domestic league next week."
Cockerill has already been in touch with his former coaching partner Matt O'Connor to try to learn about how the Ulster squad looks this term.
O'Connor left Leicester to take control of Leinster in the summer and his new team suffered a narrow defeat at Ravenhill last weekend.
"I have spoken to Matt and we have the footage of that game," said Cockerill. "But, like most pre-season games, it was messy and scrappy and you couldn't get much out of it."
Leicester are Ulster have seen plenty of each other in recent times.
The sides met in pre-season last year and drew 14-14 in Belfast, after two meetings in Europe the previous season.
With two more fixtures in this year's Heineken Cup to come, Tigers and Ulster will have met six times in a three-year period come January 2014.
Tigers are likely to be without the likes of Miles Benjamin and Mat Tait as they recover from summer surgery.
Matt Smith is doubtful after hurting a hand and Graham Kitchener has a leg injury which could sideline him too.
While winger Vereniki Goneva played at outside-centre in Jersey and fly-half Ryan Lamb had a spell at full-back, this will be a game where Cockerill is unlikely to experiment. He will, more likely, start nailing down the combinations that will play against Worcester the following week.
The visitors will be without their international stars who are rested at the start of the season under an agreement with the Irish Rugby Union.
They will also be without South African international Ruan Pienaar, who is currently playing for the Springboks in the Rugby Championship Reported by This is 14 hours ago.
Clik here to view.
This is Leicestershire --Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill is treating today's pre-season fixture with Ulster as a dress rehearsal for their Aviva Premiership opener.
Tigers begin the defence of their title against Worcester Warriors at Welford Road a week tomorrow.
Cockerill says today's game with the Irish province will give his side an ideal opportunity to put themselves to the test.
Throw in the fact that Ulster will be Leicester's first opponents in this season's Heineken Cup campaign, and you have all of the ingredients for the word "friendly" to be put to the ultimate test.
"Ulster will be a dress rehearsal for our Premiership opener and so we will be putting a strong side out," said Cockerill.
"They are a good side, as we have found out in the past, and they will bring a strong side over too because they start their domestic league next week."
Cockerill has already been in touch with his former coaching partner Matt O'Connor to try to learn about how the Ulster squad looks this term.
O'Connor left Leicester to take control of Leinster in the summer and his new team suffered a narrow defeat at Ravenhill last weekend.
"I have spoken to Matt and we have the footage of that game," said Cockerill. "But, like most pre-season games, it was messy and scrappy and you couldn't get much out of it."
Leicester are Ulster have seen plenty of each other in recent times.
The sides met in pre-season last year and drew 14-14 in Belfast, after two meetings in Europe the previous season.
With two more fixtures in this year's Heineken Cup to come, Tigers and Ulster will have met six times in a three-year period come January 2014.
Tigers are likely to be without the likes of Miles Benjamin and Mat Tait as they recover from summer surgery.
Matt Smith is doubtful after hurting a hand and Graham Kitchener has a leg injury which could sideline him too.
While winger Vereniki Goneva played at outside-centre in Jersey and fly-half Ryan Lamb had a spell at full-back, this will be a game where Cockerill is unlikely to experiment. He will, more likely, start nailing down the combinations that will play against Worcester the following week.
The visitors will be without their international stars who are rested at the start of the season under an agreement with the Irish Rugby Union.
They will also be without South African international Ruan Pienaar, who is currently playing for the Springboks in the Rugby Championship Reported by This is 14 hours ago.
