Their attention may be focused on scoring tries and winning line-outs on March 14, but Leicester Tigers players are urging people in the county to shop locally on Independents Day, even if they cannot do it themselves.

The club's stars have joined shoppers and businesses to back our Support Your County campaign, and told the Leicester Mercury about some of the independent businesses in the county which they support.

Prop Martin Castrogiovanni is a partner in Timo Italian restaurant and bar in Allandale Road, Stoneygate, Leicester. He buys meat from W Archer and Son butchers in Queens Road, Clarendon Park, Leicester.

While he won't be able to shop locally in the city on the big day, as he will be playing for Italy against Wales in Rome in the Six Nations, he is urging others to do so.

He said: "It's good to support local businesses."

Julian White, will be busy on March 14 preparing for England's game against France the next day.

The Tigers and England prop runs his own farm in south Leicestershire, and buys animal feed from Manor Farm Feeds at Owston, near Tilton on the Hill.

He said: "They are a small farm and do a really good job. It works well so I go with them for cattle feed and sheep feed.

"I think buying local is important if everyone can get behind it. We need a sustainable future for the country's farmers. Farmers don't want subsidies, they want to produce good food for people."

Leicester Tigers and England Saxons back, Sam Vesty, said: "We like to use the fish market in the centre of Leicester. We have had scallops, mussels and sea bass from there.

"We like to go there because we know it is as fresh as you can get in the Midlands."