Leicester Tigers face waiting game over Geordan Murphy

Leicester Tigers will find out later this week whether skipper Geordan Murphy will be out of the game for weeks or months.

The 31-year-old dislocated his leftshoulder during the second half of Tigers' hugely-physical 20-20 draw at Bath last Saturday.

Murphy was in hospital yesterday having scans on the injury in an attempt to determine the extent of the damage.

Head coach Richard Cockerill said his captain would be missed, whatever the length of his spell out of the game.

"It's obviously not ideal having Geordan inured," he said. "He could be back in three to four weeks or it could be three to four months. We just don't know at the minute.

"If the shoulder has gone straight back in, it shouldn't be too bad.

"But if the ligaments have been stretched or damaged, it might be longer. He is clearly going to be out for a while, whatever the diagnosis.

"It's not great with the other injuries we have got to key players. With the likes of Aaron Mauger and Dan Hipkiss coming back, we were just starting to get some strength back as well."

Tigers backs coach Matt O'Connor confirmed that Kiwi Scott Hamilton will take Murphy's place in the starting line-up for Saturday's Guinness Premiership match with Worcester at Welford Road.

O'Connor believes that the former Canterbury Crusader will have little trouble filling Murphy's boots.

"Scott will play at 15 this week," he said. "He has already done the job for us when Geordan has been out injured in the past and he is a Test standard full-back.

"He will do a good job and we also have other players to fill that void if necessary.

"We don't need too many more injuries but we are, at this stage, putting out a very competitive side."

O'Connor was also pleased with what he saw as his team's best performance of the season at Bath last Saturday.

"Bath were the best team we have played so far and the intensity was ferocious throughout the game. Both teams came to play," he said.

"There were improvements in our accuracy and we certainly made steps forward in what we were trying to do."

Former Australian winger Lote Tuquiri could be appearing at Welford Road in the Heineken Cup on October 11.

He is currently discussing a possible move to the Ospreys, Tigers' first round opponents in Pool 3.

If he agrees a deal, the former Wallaby could be added as an extra to the Welsh region's 38-man European squad.

Former Tigers flanker Luke Abraham has received his third suspension in nine months.

The Sale Sharks back-rower was given three weeks in the stands for stamping on Bath scrum-half Michael Claassens during their Guinness Premiership match on September 18.

Abraham was suspended for two weeks in January for punching former Bath player Alex Crockett and was banned for eight weeks in March for head-butting.

South Africa have announced they will play Saracens at Wembley on November 17.

The Springboks play Tigers at Welford Road 11 days earlier as part of their preparation for the autumn internationals.

Apart from the head coach, Brendan Venter, Saracens' squad includes four Springboks and seven other players with South African roots.

Squad: Brad Barritt, Mouritz Botha, Schalk Brits, Neil de Kock, Michael Horak, Derick Hougaard, Ernst Joubert, Justin Melck, Ethienne Reynecke, Wikus van Heerden and Frik Venter.