LEICESTER are set to parade some of their British Lions and English big guns when they face Newport Gwent Dragons in the Powergen Cup at Rodney Parade on Friday night.

Current England captain Martin Corry and fellow Lions Julian White and Ben Kay all missed Sunday's Guinness Premiership game at Leeds along with other key men Andy Goode and Daryl Gibson.

Leicester still won the game, though without some of their star men, and went to the top of the Premiership table as a result.

They say they expect some of their missing men to play at Newport as they seek to 'toughen up' the side for their visit to Wales.

But Darren Morris, the Leicester and former Swansea and Wales prop, insists they will take nothing for granted when they visit Rodney Parade.

"We will have quality players coming back into the side, but for us to come down, walk in and just win it won't happen, it's never like that," he said at yesterday's competition launch at the Millennium Stadium, though he will miss the game after shoulder and groin operations.

"I've been watching the Dragons on TV and they play a very attractive style of rugby," he said. "You can't go back to the Heineken Cup match two years ago (when Leicester won 26-20 at Newport) because we only got into Europe then via the back door.

"This is a new season with new players and Leicester are in transition after losing Martin Johnson and Neil Back and a quality coach (John Wells) but there is great enthusiasm and though it's early days we're top of the table.

"Martin Corry leads from the front, but Leicester have left a decision by the Lions when to return to the players. There has been no pressure from the clubs, no rushing them back, it's been purely down to the players."

Two other Lions from the New Zealand tour in the summer who played at Leeds and are set to be in the side to face the Dragons are full back Geordan Murphy and prop Graham Rowntree.