After missing the past four matches, Willi Heinz returns to captain Gloucester when Leicester visit Kingsholm in the Aviva Premiership tomorrow (2.30pm).

After European Rugby Challenge Cup and Anglo-Welsh Cup action over the past four weeks, it’s back to domestic duties and the bread and butter of the Premiership for the Cherry and Whites.

Heinz returns to lead a side which features none of the starting line-up from last Saturday’s Anglo-Welsh Cup fixture away at Newcastle.

Gloucester are currently in fourth place in the Premiership table and are six points ahead of eighth-placed Tigers. So, a home win would extend that gap, but Leicester were triumphant in the two previous meetings this season, both at Welford Road.

Head coach Johan Ackermann acknowledged that it’s the first of an important block of matches, and that Leicester missing a few players on international duty won’t make much of a difference to the overall strength of the Tigers.

“We played them early in the season, not long after I arrived,” Ackermann said. “That particular day we made a lot of simple errors. A few months later, I think both teams have developed, there have been some changes in personnel.

“It’s a block of four games and it’s important that we don’t fall into the trap of targetting games, or putting more emphasis on one game over another. When we had a good run before Christmas, we only focused on the next training session, the next game.

“The quality they have in their squad is still such that they can beat any side. We also went through a period when we had a lot of players unavailable, and we actually did really well.

“They’re missing four players out of a squad of 30-plus players. They’ll have planned for that and prepared for that. They’re missing world-class players, but we can’t think that will do the job for us. Whoever comes in will be good enough, they wouldn’t be at the Tigers otherwise.”

Leicester welcome back fit-again Telusa Veainu and Manu Tuilagi for the trip to Kingsholm.

Tom Youngs also returns to captain the team, joining Greg Bateman and Logovi’i Mulipola in the Tigers front row.

Brendon O’Connor makes his 50th appearance for the club since his arrival in November 2015.

“Having Telusa and Manu back has been a real positive around the place and gives us more options in the backline,” said head coach Matt O’Connor.

“We have a big challenge and we have to make sure we are bang-on for Saturday. The competition is still very tight and every point will be at a premium.”

After the Leicester game, Gloucester travel to Worcester Warriors a week tomorrow before hosting Wasps and Newcastle. All four games are in the Premiership.

Meanwhile Premiership Rugby have confirmed that one of the Premiership’s red letter matches has been selected for live TV coverage by BT Sport, with Gloucester and Bath Rugby kicking off at 3pm on Saturday 28th April.

The West Country derby is one of the most eagerly-awaited fixtures in the calendar, and was a typically thrilling affair the last time the two sides met in the Premiership, when Owen Williams’ conversion seven minutes into added time clinched a remarkable victory for Gloucester at the Rec.

Gloucester: 15. Jason Woodward, 14. Tom Marshall, 13. Henry Trinder, 12. Billy Twelvetrees, 11. Ollie Thorley, 10. Billy Burns, 9. Willi Heinz (capt), 1. Josh Hohneck, 2. James Hanson, 3. John Afoa, 4. Tom Savage, 5. Mariano Galarza, 6. Jake Polledri, 7. Lewis Ludlow, 8. Ruan Ackermann. Replacements: 16. Motu Matu’u, 17. Cameron Orr, 18. Fraser Balmain, 19. Ed Slater, 20. Freddie Clarke, 21. Ben Vellacott, 22. Mark Atkinson, 23. Matt Scott. Unavailable for selection: Val Rapava Ruskin, Jacob Rowan, Charlie Sharples, Andy Symons

Leicester: 15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Nick Malouf, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Adam Thompstone, 10 Joe Ford, 9 Sam Harrison, 1 Greg Bateman, 2 Tom Youngs (c), 3 Logovi’i Mulipola, 4 Mike Fitzgerald, 5 Graham Kitchener, 6 Mike Williams, 7 Brendon O’Connor, 8 Sione Kalamafoni. Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Kyle Traynor, 18 Pat Cilliers, 19 Harry Wells, 20 Luke Hamilton, 21 Harry Simmons, 22 Gareth Owen, 23 Mathew Tait