Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill believes his side will reap the benefits of having six players tasting success with the British & Irish Lions this summer.
Dan Cole, Tom Croft, Geoff Parling, Manu Tuilagi and brothers Tom and Ben Youngs all played a part in helping the Lions secure a first series win in 16 years.
All except Croft, who played for the Lions in South Africa four years ago, made their debuts on the tour to Australia, with Cockerill confident their experiences will help the Tigers as they look to defend their Premiership crown, starting against Worcester Warriors.
“Most of them are still relatively young men so they'll use that experience for us and that will be very helpful,” said Cockerill.
“For those guys to come back and be a bit more confident having played at the top, top end of the game, seen what it's like and coped with it pretty well, and that will bode well for us
“You don't want the lads to get hurt and you want them back fit for you but knowing that to have six Lions, five of whom came through the academy, is fantastic for the club.
“Leicester has a rich history of Lions and international players so you certainly can't deny them the opportunity but thankfully most of them come back pretty much unscathed so I was happy with that.”
