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Bruce Reihana will pass a major landmark when he runs out with the Northampton Saints team to play Leicester in the LV= Cup on Saturday.
This is because the LV= Cup Round 4 match will be the former All Black's 200th for the Franklin's Gardens club. Coincidentally, the opposition for this game is the same as his first, some seven-and-a-half years ago.
It is a crunch game for both teams. The Saints need to win to secure a home semi-final, while Leicester need a win to stand a chance of qualifying from their own pool.
Director of Rugby Jim Mallinder congratulated Reihana on reaching the milestone.
"Bruce remains one of our outstanding players, on and off the field," he said. "His standards of play have remained consistently high and he sets a good example for the younger players in his approach to the game and in the way that he trains. Not many players reach this kind of milestone and it reflects Bruce's attitude towards the club.
"Tomorrow's game will certainly not be an easy ride for him or the rest of the team. We want to progress in the competition and maintain our home record, while Leicester need a win if they are to stand any chance to top their pool.
"The players performed well up at Sale last weekend, but they now have to back that up with another good 80 minutes on home turf tomorrow."
Meanwhile, Geordan Murphy makes his return from injury to claim a place in the Leicester Tigers squad.
Head coach Richard Cockerill makes just two changes to the starting line-up following last week's win over Bath.
Tom Youngs comes into the front row and Dan Hemingway, one of the starters in the historic win over South Africa in November, is named alongside Ben Kay in the second row.
The backline that started the bonus-point win over Bath is retained, with Aaron Mauger named as captain.
Murphy is joined by fellow Ireland international Jeremy Staunton among the replacements.
"It was key for us to get the bonus point against Bath last week and take something into this last fixture in the pool," said Cockerill.
"We brought in a few guys last week who had not had much rugby and they all came through fine. Now we've had a good week working up to this one and we're looking forward to it.
"Northampton have always been huge rivals and they are always big occasions when we meet."
Form: Northampton Saints have suffered just one reversal in their last twelve matches in all competitions: 9-12 in Munster in the European Cup on 22 January. The Saints have won their last 15 games at Franklin's Gardens since Newcastle won there, 19-13, in the Premiership on 28 February 2009. Northampton are the only remaining team with a 100% winning record in this season's LV= Cup. Leicester Tigers' only defeat in their last seven encounters was 12-17 away to Ospreys in the European Cup on 23 January. Leicester have won just one of their last seven away games: 22-15 at Saracens in the Premiership on 2 January. The Tigers have lost on their last two visits to Franklin's Gardens, the first of which was also in the LV= Cup on 2 December 2006. These two great local rivals are locked in what could be a winner takes all game with the victors progressing to the semi-finals of the LV= Cup. Northampton in fact need just two points to ensure their qualification (less in Newport Gwent Dragons also drop points), whilst Leicester also need Saracens to drop points.
Northampton: 15 Bruce Reihana , 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Joe Ansbro, 12 Chris Mayor, 11 Paul Diggin, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Alan Dickens, 8 Roger Wilson, 7 Neil Best, 6 Mark Easter, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe (capt), 3 Brian Mujati, 2 Brett Sharman, 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.
Replacements: 16 Andy Long, 17 Adam Parkins, 18 Alex Waller, 19 James Cannon, 20 Owen Giles, 21 Lee Dickson, 22 Barry Everitt, 23 James Downey.
Leicester: 15 Lucas Amorosino, 14 Alesana Tuilagi, 13 Billy Twelvetrees, 12 Aaron Mauger (c), 11 Matt Smith, 10 Sam Vesty, 9 Harry Ellis, 8 Brett Deacon, 7 Ben Woods, 6 Ben Pienaar, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Dan Hemingway , 3 Julian White, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Boris Stankovich.
Replacements: 16 Joe Duffey, 17 Robbie Harris, 18 Ryan Bower, 19 Rob Conquest, 20 Matt Everard, 21 James Grindal, 22 Jeremy Staunton, 23 Geordan Murphy.
Date: Saturday, Feburary 6
Venue: The Rec
Kick-off: 15.00 GMT
Referee: Dave Pearson
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