Prop Marcos Ayerza has no doubt Logovi’i Mulipola will be able to keep the Leicester Tigers scrum going forward in the absence of Dan Cole. With England’s No.1 tight-head out for the rest of the season because of a neck injury, Leicester will turn to the Samoan international to fill his boots as they chase glory on two fronts during the rest of the season. Mulipola has proved himself to be a crucial member of the squad, having come back from three months out of the game with a torn calf muscle. Ayerza says the 20-stone Samoan is “one of the strongest men he knows”. Much-feared Mulipola’s ability to play on both sides of the front row means he gives director of rugby Richard Cockerill plenty of options in the make-up of the club’s much-feared pack. But, with loose-head Ayerza fit and available, it is at tight-head Mulipola will feature in big games against the likes of Northampton, Clermont, Harlequins and Saracens in the coming weeks. “Logo turned 27 the other day but he is still relatively young as a prop and he is still learning with a long way to go,” said Ayerza. “But he is very strong and powerful in the scrum. “He is one of the strongest men I know and is a very good player. “He still has to work on his continuity and to learn to play against the best props and scrums in the world. But he is certainly at the best place to learn how to be a prop. “He has started to love the scrum more and learned why this club is so passionate about it. “He knows why, psychologically, it is so important to us. “At Leicester, when the scrum goes forward, the team tends to win and when it is not so dominant, it’s harder for us to win. “He is a good ball-carrier and is an important player in the team. “He has a huge task to replace a world-class player like Coley but he is doing very well.” Ayerza also believes the two players who will support Mulipola at tight head for the rest of the campaign are coming through nicely for young men. Fraser Balmain, 22, has already made 28 appearances for the club, while there are high hopes for 19-year-old Italian, Tiziano Pasquali. “Fraser is a good player and is coming through,” said Ayerza. “Tiziano is the same. The older you get, the better you get as a prop. If you are getting game-time as young guys, you are doing well. “They are now the second and third choice props in their position. They are both good guys and will continue to gain in confidence.” Tigers Academy have lined up a third international challenge at Welford Road with a fixture against Canada Under-20s tomorrow. The Tigers Academy recorded a 28-17 win over Wales Under-18s two weeks ago, having suffered a 19-12 loss to England Under-18s previously. Tomorrow’s match kicks off at 1pm and admission is free to all supporters at the Holland & Barrett Stand turnstiles.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 06:41:51 +0000
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