Tigers sign up quintet – and also welcome five new faces
WATSON AMONG
GOPPERTH AND
RECORD try-scorer Chris Ashton is among five senior players to sign new deals with Leicester Tigers.
Sean Jansen, Kini Murimurivalu, Harry Simmons and Richard Wigglesworth have also agreed to remain with the club beyond the current campaign.
Tigers have also signed five new players – England and British Lions star Anthony Watson from Bath, back Jimmy Gopperth from Wasps, looshead prop James Cronin from French club Biarritz, versatile back Phil Cokanasiga and back-rower Olly Cracknell, both from London Irish – for the new season.
Former England winger Ashton joined Steve Borthwick’s side in February on a short-term deal, three months after being released by Worcester Warriors in December.
Ashton, below, left, made his debut from the bench against one of his former clubs Northampton Saints and produced a try-saving tackle on George Furbank.
His first try for his sixth Gallagher Premiership club came against London Irish and a brace away at Exeter Chiefs saw the 35-year-old draw level with Tom Varndell on the alltime Premiership try-scorers list with 92.
A hat-trick against Harlequins saw him move out in front on 95 and he managed his seventh try in nine Leicester appearances with a score against Leinster in last weekend’s Heineken Champions Cup quarterfinal defeat.
Mid-season signings Ashton and Jansen have agreed deals after initially signing short-term contracts.
Jansen, who made his professional rugby debut when he played his first game for Tigers in the Premiership Rugby Cup, has appeared on four occasions, including his Premiership debut away to Harlequins.
Fiji international Murimurivalu has played 36 times for Tigers since his arrival ahead of the restart phase of the 2019/20 season.
The versatile outside-back has scored seven tries, including five this season, since his debut in September 2020.
Simmons, who is capable of playing scrum-half and in the outsidebacks, has spent the season on loan with Championship club Jersey Reds.
He has made 25 senior appearances for Tigers after graduating from the club’s academy programme ahead of the 2016/17 campaign.
Wigglesworth, the Premiership’s record holder for most appearances with 316, will continue in his dualrole beyond the current campaign as player and coach.
The England international made his Tigers debut in the opening round of the 2020/21 season at Mattioli Woods Welford Road and has appeared on 35 occasions, scoring three tries.
Head coach Borthwick said: “It is great to be able to agree new deals with all of these players and have them recommit to Leicester Tigers.
“They have all been a part of these early stages in this journey and I am sure our supporters are pleased to see these new deals announced.”
Heading the list of new arrivals is Watson, who can play at full-back, wing or outside-centre.
He moved to Bath in 2013 and has made more than 100 appearances for the club in the Premiership and European competitions.
Watson made his Test debut for England in 2014 against New Zealand at Twickenham and has made more than 50 international appearances, including at the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups.
He was also selected for back-to-back British & Irish Lions tours in 2017 and 2021.
Head Coach Borthwick said: “Anthony is a world-class player who has played at the highest levels of the game over a number of seasons.
“While he has reached great heights, he is incredibly keen to develop his game, remains ambitious and has a lot more he wants to achieve. I am fortunate to have worked with Anthony with the England team and on the British & Irish Lions tour in 2017 and have seen first-hand what a professional he is.
“It is very exciting to be adding a player and person of his calibre to what we are building at Leicester Tigers.”
Watson, below, said: “The first word that comes to mind with Leicester Tigers is ‘tough.’ It is a tough club, a tough group of people and
to a part of that kind of environment is the best thing for me.
“Mattioli Woods Welford Road has always been a hostile place to play so it will definitely be nice to be on the right side of that with that incredible support behind you.”
Capable of playing at fly-half, centre or full-back, New Zealand-born Gopperth sits in fourth place on the Premiership’s all-time points scorer list and has made almost 200 appearances in the English top flight.
Gopperth has won both the Premiership Player of the Year and RPA Players’ Player of the Year awards, as well as the Golden Boot in 2016/17 as the league’s top points scorer.
Borthwick said: “Jimmy has shown for a number of years in some of the world’s most competitive and tough environments that he is a world-class player.
“A prolific points scorer capable of playing in various positions, he not only adds valuable depth to our squad but an incredible amount of experience and knowledge. “Jimmy is a proven leader and someone who makes the players around him better.”
Gopperth said: “Leicester Tigers is one of the most historic clubs in the world, with one of the biggest fanbases.
“Whenever you turn up to Mattioli Woods Welford Road, you know you are in for a hell of a game and there is just something special about it that you don’t get anywhere else.”
Cork-born Cronin, 31, was selected as part of the Irish senior squad to tour Argentina and made his Test debut in the win over Los Pumas in June 2014.
Cronin made more than 140 appearances for Munster in
Pro12, Pro14 and European Champions Cup competitions before moving to France to join Biarritz ahead of the current campaign. He said: “You can see that Leicester Tigers is a club on the up, led by a world-class coach in Steve Borthwick, and I want to push myself in an environment like that which he has created.”
Cokanasiga, who can play at inside or outside centre, made his professional debut during the 2019/20 season after graduating from the London Irish academy, featuring in both the Gallagher Premiership and European Challenge Cup in his first season.
The 20-year-old is the younger brother of England international Joe and was a member of the England Under-20s squad who achieved a Grand Slam in the 2021 Six Nations.
Borthwick said: “Phil is a talented young player with incredible potential for growth in his game.
“He is a player who possesses great power, speed and excellent footwork.”
Cokanasiga said: “I see myself as a ball carrier first and, with Fijian blood, I’ve been blessed with a bit of footwork, so I want to be able to add to the team with that and more. I just want to contribute however I can and I am excited about the chance.”
Capable of playing across the back row, English-born Cracknell represented Wales at Under-20s level.
The 27-year-old, born in Leeds, is a product of the Yorkshire Carnegie academy and had stints in South Africa with Border Bulldogs and in Wales with RGC 1404.
Cracknell spent seven seasons with the Ospreys, which included a call-up to the Wales senior squad for the 2017 Six Nations, before joining London Irish this season.
Borthwick said: “Olly is a tough, uncompromising, player who can play across the back row.”
Cracknell said: “The fanbase Leicester Tigers has is incredible and the history around the club enormous. Tigers is a massive rugby club, you can see that, and I am really excited to be a part of it.”
Tigers have also agreed new deals with six members of the club’s senior academy – Joe Browning, Jacob Cusick, Sam Edwards, Emeka Ilione, Tom Manz and Archie Vanes.