Welford Road Stadium

You're dusting off the boots once again this weekend and all in aid of a very good cause.

Yeah, so heading back to Welford Road for the first time in 16 years.

So first 16 years beyond the pitch there, which would be nice.

And it's for the 7-4-5 game for motor neurone disease.

So when Ed asked how long we were planning on taking, I replied, you cycled 350 miles in three days, Ed, so we should be able to manage 90 miles in a day, right? To which he replied, yeah, Mikey, but we're professional sportsmen, which was...

harsh but has proven to be absolutely on the money so to date the support's been absolutely fantastic since december 21 we've raised nearly 123 000 pounds and immeasurable awareness for mnd from five rides and five bucket collections last season alone we raised over 33 000 pounds riding from leeds rhinos to gloucester rugby for the 745 cross coat game We organised the bucket collection at our home Slater Cup game and rode approximately 110 miles from Milton Keynes, where Ed first played his club rugby, via Mattioli Woods Welford Road, where we joined the race for the Slater Cup at Villa Park.

So, Yeah, we've met and lost some inspirational MND warriors along the way.

Most recently, a wonderful guy called Davey, who sadly passed last February after a two-year battle.

Day three takes us another 68 miles and another 3,000 feet of ascent from Rotherham through Sheffield to Donington before the riding to Tigers when we're planning on arriving on the plaza around midday on Sunday.

So we'll be tired.

And no doubt elated to get back home to Mattioli Woods, Welford Road.

What's going to be a very special, no doubt, incredibly emotional occasion.

And we will be previewing.

the Saracens game this Saturday at Matterley Woods, Welford Road, two o'clock kickoff.

And that is the opener of the PWR Next Gen Cup, previously known as the PWR Cup, previously known as the PWR Up Series, previously known as the Alliance Cup.

So it's a competition that loves to change names.

I think Ben and Ben Sesser and Jill Burke have been really influential in driving those standards.

So really, really excited to see sort of the end product on the field.

So as we head to facing Saracen Swimming at home at Mattoon Woods Welford Road this weekend, obviously, In pre-season, you had that sort of fixture slash open training session with Cheltenham.

Do you feel like you got what you wanted out of that? And what was like that as an experience of playing a non-PEWA side?

Yeah, enjoyed the game despite the, uh, awful result, but I'll talk about that later I'm sure.

It's good to be back at Matty Oliver Woods, Welford Road on Saturday.

But yes, how's your week been?

Good, thank you.

So massively uplifting thing to do.

But also you must have benefited from, you had a great team around you for that, the challenge, the one that was at Welford Road.

Your family, obviously, colleagues from Tigers.

Do I remember James Whitcombe, ex, obviously loosehead prop from Tigers, who's now at Edinburgh? Was he cycling around keeping the morale going with some singing?

I'm putting them safe just to keep my feet on the ground.

I feel like that pack is so hard physically to beat, right? That they should win the vast majority of their games at Welford Road, if not all of them.

And that puts you probably around-

Mm-hmm

Tigers, though, weren't at the races at all.

On this episode, we'll discuss that, plus hear from Gabriel Hamer-Webb on Wales, his family, and returning back to Matt Elywood's Welford Road, where Leicester are in action next against a totally new-look team newcastle red bulls with me to discuss all is the former tigers and england wing tom vandell tom hello hello and uh were you uh glad that you missed out on the stoop or no

well it wasn't a great weekend for me either if i'm honest with uh with lines we had a tough start against guernsey um so yeah i don't think there was a a right or wrong place to be watching rugby

this weekend if i'm honest how did you find being a coach for the first time of a team like that

And I think it is a positive thing to have that same head coach going in because the relationships are stronger, you understand how to interact with everyone, you understand where you stand within the team and how you can get better.

So I think it's a positive thing, yeah.

And obviously looking to the weekend, getting back to Matty Earlywood's Welford Road for the first time this season, how are you and the boys feeling about getting back in front of the Tigers fans and getting, I know the season started last week, but getting the season started at home? Yeah.

Super excited.