Team news: Leicester Tigers suffer Julian Salvi injury blow

Julian Salvi will be out of action for up to five weeks with a broken hand.

The Australian flanker picked up the injury during last Saturday's 30-8 victory over Exeter Chiefs.

Salvi's absence means new signing Richard Thorpe gets his first start for Leicester Tigers at Sale Sharks tonight.

It gives the former London Irish player a chance to establish himself in the No.7 shirt, but the absence of the club's stand-out open-side for Heineken Cup games at Toulouse and at home to the Ospreys is a bitter pill to swallow.

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"It's typical that all of our injuries this year have been received in games," said a frustrated Tigers' director of rugby Richard Cockerill.

"Only Rob Hawkins' broken thumb was done in training while all of the other ones were done on the pitch.

"Julian is a very good player but it is one of those things and you have to roll with it.

"Richard Thorpe has played open-side before. He's not an out-and-out ball-getter like Julian, but there are not many of his sort around in the Premiership."

Tigers half-back duo Ben Youngs and George Ford will be wearing starting shirts for the first time this season tonight.

For Youngs, it represents his first game back since shoulder surgery after picking up an injury during England's summer tour of South Africa.

Ford, meanwhile, has been patiently waiting in the wings as Toby Flood has started the opening five games of the campaign.

Cockerill has also handed a first start of the campaign to lock Ed Slater, while centre Manu Tuilagi returns to the starting line-up after recovering from a shoulder injury.

"Steve Mafi is still missing in the back row with a sore hip but he should be fit for next week's trip to Toulouse," said Cockerill.

Tigers will also travel for their first fixture at the Salford City stadium without lock Geoff Parling, who the club are having to rest under the terms of the long-term agreement with England.

Cockerill confirmed that England head coach Stuart Lancaster had exercised his right to rest the 28-year-old who has firmly established himself in the starting line-up for the national team over the last nine months.

Dan Bowden is also unavailable after taking a knock to the ribs last weekend, and he is replaced by Anthony Allen.

For Sale, golden boy Danny Cipriani starts on the bench as Nick Macleod is trusted with the fly-half's shirt.

Bryan Redpath makes three changes to the side that lost at Bath with Richie Gray and Richie Vernon coming into the pack and Will Addison replacing the suspended Tom Brady on the wing.