It seems so far away, yet the new season is slowly creeping up on us. More excitingly, new signings are being announced all over the country and it’s looking to be one of the most exhilarating seasons in years in the battle for victory. For those itching for the Premiership to start, it might be good to get to know your club’s new faces a little better.
Let’s begin with Leicester Tigers; champions of 2012/13, who were plagued by injury at the start of last season. With the likes of Dan Cole still out injured and the departure of 17 players (including big game changers such as Dan Bowden and Thomas Waldrom), Tigers have brought a lot of experience and international quality to the squad, with the hope that they can get their hands on silverware once again. So, here’s a round up of Leicester’s new signings so far.
Premiership Signings- Leicester Tigers
Freddie Burns
Age: 24
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 13st 12lbs
Position: Fly Half
After coming through the age-groups with Gloucester, Burns played 127 matches and accumulated an impressive 1,016 points for the Cherry and Whites. He also plays for England, his debut being against the All Blacks in December 2012. After a somewhat disappointing season last year, Burns will no doubt thrive at Welford Road amidst the competition for the number 10 shirt with Owen Williams.
Christian Loamanu
Age: 28
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 16st 10lbs
Position: Centre/Wing
Tongan born, Loamanu moved to Japan when he was 15. He played his debut match for Japan at 18, making him the youngest ever player to play for the national rugby team. Loamanu played 16 games for Japan, and scored 25 points in 17 games for Benetton Treviso from 2012-2014. He plays on the wing but can also play centre.
Leonardo Ghiraldini
Age: 29
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 16st
Position: Hooker
One of the Italian trio moving to Leicester from Treviso, Ghiraldini made his international debut in Italy’s 2006 summer tour against Japan. Since then, he played his first World Cup match against Portugal in 2007, captained Italy in the 2010 Six Nations and won the Super 10 with Calvisano in 2008 (also as captain). With 67 caps and 20 points for his home country, Italy’s number-one hooker could give Tom Youngs a challenge for the starting spot.
Robert Barbieri
Age: 30
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 17st
Position: Flanker
With 37 caps, Barbieri made his international debut in the same match as Ghiraldini made his, and is the second Italian player to come over from Treviso. He was born in Canada but moved to Italy in 2005, and since his move to Treviso, has scored 125 points in the 7 years he has been at the club. The talented flanker will add experience and strength to Leicester’s back row.
Michele Rizzo
Age: 31
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 18st
Position: Prop/Hooker
Finishing off the trio is Michele Rizzo, Treviso’s fiery front-rower. His first match for Italy was against Australia in 2005 and has made appearances on the international scene a further 14 times, including the recent Six Nations tournament. He played for Petrarca Padova for eight years (captain for his last two seasons there) and then joined Treviso in 2009 and has scored 20 points for them over 92 games. Richard Cockerill’s side will utilise his skills to add extra power to their scrummaging.
Seremaia Bai
Age: 35
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 15st 10lbs
Position: Fly Half/Centre
The Fijian back has played for his national side through the age groups and has 49 caps for Fiji, playing his debut against Japan in 2000. Bai appeared in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, boasting more international experience than both Freddie Burns and Owen Williams combined, who will also fight for the number 10 shirt with him. He has played for Castres for four years, racking up 91 points in 93 games, before signing for the East Midlands team.
Laurence Pearce
Age: 23
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 19st
Position: No. 8
Pearce has made his presence well known at Rotherham, where he leaves to join Tigers. The huge number eight used to play Rugby League, where he played for England and Great Britain Students. Being able to also play flanker gives this young talent versatility in the back row, and has proved that he is a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately he joins Leicester still recovering from a knee injury sustained in January during Rotherham’s match against Bedford, so will more than likely miss out on the first few games of the season.
Aniseko Sio
Age: 21
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 16st 10lbs
Position: Prop
This young prop played his first game for his home country, Samoa, on 30th May 2014 against Japan. Sio joins from Vaimoso and will flourish in the front-row wisdom that Leicester has always been known for. Richard Cockerill said of Sio, and Rizzo:
“We have a very good group of senior props led by Marcos Ayerza, Dan Cole and Logovi’i Mulipola, plus younger guys Fraser Balmain and Tom Bristow who have some first team rugby experience with us, and Tiziano Pasquali and Riccardo Brugnara who have been coming through.
“We look forward to seeing Michele and Aniseko working with them in the new season.”
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