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A groom gave his rugby mad bride the surprise of her life on their wedding day.

Matthew Lane, 36, from Braunstone Town, asked his friend, former Tigers player, Freddie Tuilagi, if he could arrange for some players to pop into his wedding reception at the Old Etonian Rugby Club, in Hinckley Road, Leicester Forest East, on Saturday as a surprise for his new wife, Joanne, 33.

The couple married earlier in the day at County Hall, in Glenfield, and are expecting their first child.

Freddie was more than happy to oblige and brought along his younger brother, Manu, who plays centre, and prop, Logo Mulipola.

An elated Matthew said: “It was such a special day but the players popping in brought Joanne to tears. We’re both huge Tigers fans and haven’t missed a home game for the past 12 years.

“Joanne was presented with the latest Tigers shirt and they stayed and chatted for more than 40 minutes. Everyone was gob smacked to see them and they chatted away with guests and had their photos taken - all in their own time.”

Despite Manu getting into hot water with England team coaches recently for an unplanned night out in the capital, Matthew said: “He was in good spirits and said he was looking forward to the season ahead and feeling in good shape.

"He’s a great guy who does so much for charity and turned up of his own steam to our wedding.

"He’s a gentle giant and we couldn’t have been happier. It really made the day extra special.

“Manu had just arrived back from Wales in the early hours so to drop into the wedding was such an amazing thing to do.”

(Image: Getty Images)

Matthew got to know Freddie following the death of former Tigers player Seru Rabeni, who died shortly after retiring from the sport aged 37. He helped raise money to send to the player’s family back home in Fiji.