Saints must back themselves to beat Tigers, says Corbisiero

The Welford Road showdown will be Corbisiero’s first taste of an east midlands derby, having moved to Northampton from London Irish during the summer.

The England prop is desperate to help his new club end a winless run against Tigers that spans eight games.

And to do that he insists Saints must continue the style of play that has seen them win three of their first four Aviva Premiership games this season.

“It’s a big game,” said Corbisiero. “Leicester are always a big challenge, regardless of whether you’re playing home or away or who you’re playing for.

“There’s obviously a lot of hype around this game with the east midlands rivalry and I’m just looking forward to getting out there and trying to perform.

“I think we’ve just got to focus on our own game.

“Leicester are a great side, they’ve been at the top of European rugby for a reason. They’re well-drilled, good set piece, good, talented team with some try scorers and some flair in there but we’ve got a decent defence ourselves.

“We need to confront them on the battleground areas and play our game. We don’t need to do anything different to what we have been doing, we just need to match them.”

If Saints are to claim victory at Welford Road for the first time since 2007, they will need to lay solid foundations in the set piece.

And Corbisiero, who helped the British & Irish Lions topple Australia Down Under during the summer, knows just what is required this weekend.

“The set piece is going to be a massive challenge,” he said. “Scrum, lineout, maul, breakdown, all the areas for the forwards, it’s going to be a real battle.

“Leicester are one of the premier outfits in this league so you’ve got to get out there and match them.

“We’re always looking to try to assert ourselves there and it’s going to be a real tough test there.”