The following are press releases from Leicester Tigers of the Aviva Premiership.
Contract Renewals Bring Early Christmas Gift for Leicester Tigers Fans
Ben Youngs agrees new Tigers contract
International scrum-half Ben Youngs has committed his future to Leicester Tigers after agreeing terms on a new contract.
Youngs, who has 52 caps for England and two for the British & Irish Lions, is in his 10th season of first-team rugby at the club since coming out of the Tigers academy and says family connections at Welford Road played a big part in his desire to stay.
“The fact my dad was a Leicester Tigers player and that I can play alongside my brother in the Tigers team here each week is very important to me,” said Youngs who has made 169 appearances for the club since his debut as a teenager in 2007.
“I’ve been at the club for a long time and it’s a great experience to be involved at a club with that strong family connection.
“I’m really enjoying my rugby here, working with Richard Cockerill, Aaron Mauger and the rest of the coaching team. We have a great backroom staff and coaching team, which is important too.
“We’ve had a good start to the season and it’s good to see players like Matt Toomua coming in for next season as well as the guys who are agreeing new contracts from the current squad.”
Like Youngs, club captain Ed Slater and fly-half Freddie Burns have also agreed new contract terms at the club.
Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: “Ben led the team as captain for much of last season and he is an integral part of the leadership group in the playing squad. I’m delighted that he has agreed a new contract here.
“He is a young man with masses of experience at the highest levels of the game with Tigers, England and the Lions, and he clearly believes we have a very strong squad at the club. With Ben and others agreeing new contracts and with Matt Toomua among the new signings for next season, we hope to build on that strength going forward.”
Tuilagi commits to Tigers with new deal
Leicester Tigers are delighted to confirm that Manu Tuilagi has agreed a new contract at the club.
Tuilagi, 24, has been the subject of intense speculation in recent months as he approaches the end of his current deal at the club, but says he is “very happy” to stay at Welford Road.
An England international with 25 caps, as well as a Test appearance with the British & Irish Lions in 2013, Tuilagi has spent all of his professional club career at Tigers since coming through the academy.
Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: “Manu is a world-class talent and we are delighted that he sees his future with the Tigers.
“We always wanted him to stay and we always believed that he wanted to stay too.
“Manu has had very close connections to the club from a very young age and he is a big part of the Tigers family. The club has been very good to him and he has shown huge loyalty to the club in return in wanting to stay here.
“This is where he is at home, the supporters love him and we’re looking forward to getting him back out on the pitch in the near future.
“Manu is in the prime of his rugby life at 24, he has very good players and a good coaching team around him here and he is very keen to play his part in the squad.”
Following in the footsteps of international older brothers, Tuilagi made his big breakthrough with Tigers in 2011/12 and shared in the Aviva Premiership title win the following season. He has 24 tries in 76 appearances for the club.
Tuilagi said: “The Tigers has been a big part of my life and following my brothers into the team here was a very proud moment for me.
“The club always wants to be successful, the players and coaches set very high standards and we are always looking to improve. It is a great club and I’m very settled here. The club and the supporters have been very good to me.
“The way the team has been playing this season is very exciting with Aaron Mauger as head coach and that is another reason I’m looking forward to getting back out on the pitch in Tigers colours.”
The Tuilagi announcement follows hot on the heels of news that colleagues Ben Youngs, Freddie Burns and club captain Ed Slater have also agreed new contracts at Tigers.
Fly-half Burns agrees new Tigers contract
Fly-half Freddie Burns has agreed a new contract to stay with Leicester Tigers.
Burns, 25, has scored nearly 200 points for the club since arriving from Gloucester Rugby in the summer of 2014.
An England international with five Test caps, Burns said: “When I first came to Tigers last summer, I always thought of it as a long-term move for me, not a short-term fix, and I’m very happy to have agreed a new contract to stay.
“Leicester is a great club with a lot of history and hopefully this group of players can add some history of their own.”
Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: “Freddie has worked very hard since he arrived last summer and he is enjoying his time with the club, working with head coach Aaron Mauger and the rest of the coaching team and the squad.
“He is really keen to continue to develop his game and progress his career with us and I’m very happy he has committed to stay here.”
Burns made 28 appearances in his debut season in 2014/15 and is now approaching fitness again after suffering a fractured jaw during the a pre-season programme in October.
Club captain Slater agrees new Tigers deal
Leicester Tigers club captain Ed Slater has agreed new contract terms to stay at Welford Road.
Slater, 27, made his 100th appearance for the Tigers in the win over Bath Rugby last weekend and captained the team on Aviva Premiership duty at Worcester Warriors on Saturday.
Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: “Ed has made a massive contribution over the last six seasons as a Leicester Tigers player. He is the club captain because he is an outstanding player and an important member of the first-team squad both on and off the field.
“We’re very happy that he has agreed new terms beyond the end of this season and we look forward to seeing his continued influence on those around him as well as his development as a player in this environment.
“Ed is among the English qualified players and leaders at the heart of the squad, which is extremely important to the culture of the club.”
A member of the England squad on tour last summer and in the build-up to the Rugby World Cup in 2015, Slater made his Tigers debut in September 2010 after a spell in Australian club rugby and has scored eight tries in 101 appearances.
Slater said: “First and foremost I love playing for Leicester Tigers and for as long as the club want me, I want to stay. The club has been very good to me, it has given me a great opportunity to play my rugby here and I am enjoying my rugby here.
“It’s a great club, we have a very good group of players, having Aaron Mauger here has added something as well and all those things combined made it a very easy decision to make to stay.”
Slater follows fly-half Freddie Burns in agreeing terms to new contracts at the Tigers.
“Main Photo” Leicester Tigers fans have been treated to an early Christmas gift with the announcement of several key players signing new contracts.
