Premiership Rugby Cup final: Handre Pollard starts for Leicester Tigers against Gloucester

Handre Pollard recovered from injury to play a crucial role in South Africa's 2023 World Cup triumph

Two-time World Cup-winner Handre Pollard has been named in Leicester Tigers' side for Friday's Premiership Rugby Cup final against Gloucester.

The South Africa fly-half played in Tigers' group-stage win over Sale last September to prove his fitness for the Springboks' World Cup squad.

He went on to kick decisive penalties as they won all three of their knockout games by a single point.

The 30-year-old has played 12 times for Leicester this season.

Pollard is one of four changes for the match at Gloucester's Kingsholm Stadium, with lock Sam Carter, prop Joe Heyes and wing Josh Bassett coming into the side which beat Ealing Trailfinders in the semi-final.

Heyes starts at tight-head after being released from England's Six Nations squad.

The replaced quartet of Phil Cokanasiga, Dan Richardson, Jamie Shillcock and Olly Cracknell are all named on Leicester's bench.

Gloucester make one change from the team that beat Exeter Chiefs in their semi-final - Val Rapava-Ruskin returning from a five-month spell out following knee surgery.

The prop comes in for Jamal Ford-Robinson, having signed a new deal with the Cherry and Whites in January.

Centre Mark Atkinson is no longer available for selection, having retired from rugby union this week because of a persistent knee injury.

Gloucester: Evans; Hearle, Llewellyn, Atkinson, Thorley; Barton, Englefield; Rapava-Ruskin, McGuigan, Gotovtsev, Clarke, Jordan, Ackermann, Ludlow, Mercer.

Replacements: Blake, Elrington, Ford-Robinson, Clark, Clement, Chapman, Hillman-Cooper, Hathaway.

Leicester: Brown; Bassett, Scott, Kelly, Hassell-Collins; Pollard, Whiteley; Van Wyk, Theobald-Thomas, Heyes, Wells, Carter, Liebenberg, Rogerson, Hatherall.

Replacements: Vanes, Whitcombe, Richardson, Cracknell, Ilione, Edwards, Shillcock, Cokanasiga.