Tigers summer preperations

12,500 season tickets sold ahead of next season (more than half the capacity).

http://www.leicestertigers.com/news/14132.php

Pre season games against Hull and Jersey (rumoured) and Nottingham (Aug, confirmed).

Ins:

Rob Andrew - 25 - big second row enforcer originally from SA, has been playing in French 2nd division. Should provide some bulky squad cover for Deacon and Slater.
Matt Cornwall - 27 - returning Tigers boy, former England under 20s captain who can play 10,12,15. Much loved for his involvment in the Matt Hampson Foundation and a real nice guy who will offer good squad cover.
Dan Bowden - 26 - replacement for Twelvetrees, will fight for the 12 shirt mainly and cover 10 when required. His ability to kick for points as well as play a fluid passing game should help him fit right in.
Adam Thompstone - 24 - big and pacey centre/wing from LI, would have surely made a bigger impact in his career if not for serious injuries previously.
Miles Benjamin - 23 - winger, the Worcester flyer should become a fan favourite with his pace, power and work rate.
Vereniki Goneva - 28 - Fijian flyer who can play centre and wing, his pacey and powerful with a short but stocky frame. Seems the natural replacement for Agulla which will be a tough ask as Agulla is a real fans favourite.

Outs:
Julian White - prop - 38 - retiring - looseheads the world over sigh a sigh of relief.
Bucknall - prop - 29 - ? - squad cover option released now he's well down the pecking order.
Skivington - lock - 29 - LI - moving to be closer to family, a good all round second rower.
Green - lock - 21 - Leeds - moving for regular first team rugby, good young enforcer who has been hampered by a knee injury.
Pienaar - backrower - 25 - ? - utility option in the backrow and former captain of the Tigers A Team.
Armes - backrower - 23 - Bedford - a scrapper at the breakdown with the ability to bounce through tackles, lacks the size to make it at AP level sadly.
Grindal - SH - 32 - Bristol - now 4th choice at Tigers so is moving on.
Staunton - FH - 33 - ? - limited game time due to bad back, was only ever squad cover but was reliable.
Twelvetrees - 10/12 - 23 - Gloucester - chasing the money and the guarenteed starting berth, fair play he'll do very well in that Cherry and Whites team.
A Tuilagi - wing - 31 - Japan - big bucks move to set up his retirement.
Agulla - wing - 28 - France/England - released due to his international commitments despite a fan protest to keep him.

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Plenty-comings-goings-Leicester-Tigers/story-16248836-detail/story.html

There we go, I think that sums it up so far (ages may not be 100% accurate). How do we reckon we'll get on?

Mostly squad clearouts whove gone. Re-signing Matt is an odd one, especially given they signed a couple of centers already. Given the only two specialist senior squad fly halves may both be with England I can only assume Bowden is intended to cover there quite regulalry

Still a question mark about hookers for me, Youngs has to step up next season.

Benjamin could be the strike winger thats been missing since Varndell.

formerly known as Sam wrote:There we go, I think that sums it up so far (ages may not be 100% accurate). How do we reckon we'll get on?

Only age that stood out as wrong was Callum Green - he is only 21 atm.


I am optimistic that we will be stronger than last season. Some good signings and when you add Crane and possibly Tait who were not seen really and the extra year of maturing for Harrison and Ford it all looks rosy. The start to the season really messed things up and perhaps led us to overplaying too many players. Hopefully next season we can manage the squad to ensure full form and fitness at the critical parts of the season.

Cockers has extended his contract which is also good.

Next weeks HC draw will be interesting.

Next weeks HEC draw will be the biggie, Cockers needs a good year in Europe after this season. Without having to play catch up in the AP we should be able to rotate more players during the league season with the likes of Deacon, Crane and Tait being a massive boost for the club. There's also Young and Brookes who we haven't really seen yet.

I agree with PSW that hooker is still a slight issue with an awful lot being gambled upon the successful completition of Tom Youngs conversion to hooker. There's no guarentee Hawkins will recover fully after his assault from the yobo at Saints and Chuter really only has the one more season in him. Jimmy Stevens the fourth choice has a couple of England under 20s caps and we have the England under 18 hooker coming through the academy (having played off the bench against Quins in the LV Cup).

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Mostly squad clearouts whove gone. Re-signing Matt is an odd one, especially given they signed a couple of centers already. Given the only two specialist senior squad fly halves may both be with England I can only assume Bowden is intended to cover there quite regulalry

Still a question mark about hookers for me, Youngs has to step up next season.

Benjamin could be the strike winger thats been missing since Varndell.

Apparently Cornwell has been playing 10 in the Italian league this season, and has been signed primarily to provide squad cover there.

I did hear somewhere that Cornwall was nominated for player of the year over in Italy. He must have been doing something right even if the standard wasn't the highest. I guess he may spend some time on loan at whoever our feeder club is next year (I had heard rumours Notts were trying to distance themselves from us but that appears to have faded) and I guess Notts would be keen as I think a J League side have nicked their fly half.

Agree Benjamin could be a bit of a try machine for us next season though I'm looking forward to Thompstone's impact more, he seems a really explosive player and given the right enviroment I think he could thrive.

LondonTiger wrote:

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Mostly squad clearouts whove gone. Re-signing Matt is an odd one, especially given they signed a couple of centers already. Given the only two specialist senior squad fly halves may both be with England I can only assume Bowden is intended to cover there quite regulalry

Still a question mark about hookers for me, Youngs has to step up next season.

Benjamin could be the strike winger thats been missing since Varndell.

Apparently Cornwell has been playing 10 in the Italian league this season, and has been signed primarily to provide squad cover there.

OK makes more sense as a signing if hes been playing 10. Just goes to show what knowing the right people can do for your career though, and nice to see Tigers bring back one of their own. Maybe after Billy Twelvetrees ends up playing in the Spanish 5th division and learns some humility he might come be offered a contarct as a utility back and maybe even allowed to play 12 if hes good




Id forgotten all about Tait. Do we really think he will come back?

I reckon he will be back. They decided to have it operated on, by that Germanb bloke the footy players use, then proper rehab. He was perhaps, along with Jordan Crane, fit enough to feature in April/May but not worth the risk.

With Thompstone and Benjamin on your wings, I think you guys should be pretty unstoppable once you get going next season. Your backline will be very dangerous indeed, provided Manu passes out to the wings of course!

Seriously though, you wouldnt be surprised to see both of them called up for a summer tour next year. Thompstone in particular deserves a injury free season to prove himself.

Terrifying potential first XV for Tigers now. And a lot of the cover options are pretty scary too.

Just in the backs you have:

Youngs, Young, Harrison
Flood, Ford, Bowden
Benjamin, Thompstone, Tait, Goneva
Allan, Bowden
Tuilagi, Tait, Smith
Murphy, Tait

There has been some excellent re-inforcement this off season but unless Tait returns we are lacking a top quality back up to Geordan though Lewington could still step up. Hooker being the other major worry. We could do with either fast tracking a young hooker into the LV Cup team and give them an AP game or two in order to build them up or look at a potential short term deal. There's no guarentees over Hawkins recovery, Chuter is in his last season and Youngs could well be in the international squad. We've got to get Stevens or Thacker moving up quickly otherwise they could end up shoved in at the deep end without experience.