England ace Watson opts for Leicester
LEICESTER have confirmed the signing of Bath and England wing Anthony Watson for next season.
Watson moved to The Rec in 2013 from London Irish and has since made more than 100 appearances for the club.
He made his Test debut in 2014 against New Zealand at Twickenham. He has won 51 caps and was selected for back-toback Lions tours in 2017 and 2021.
Leicester head coach Steve 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 Lions tour in 2017 and have seen first-hand what a professional he is.”
Tigers have also signed Wasps back Jimmy Gopperth and London Irish pair Ollie Cracknell and Phil Cokanasiga.
Capable of playing at flyhalf, centre or full-back, Gopperth, 38, sits in fourth place on the Premiership’s all-time points-scorer list and has made almost 200 appearances in the English top flight.
Flanker 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.
Cokanasiga is capable of playing at inside or outside centre, as well as in the outside-backs and has represented England at U18 and U20 levels.
Premiership record try scorer Chris Ashton and veteran scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth have signed new deals with Leicester. The length of the contracts have not been disclosed.
Former England winger Ashton, 35, joined Leicester on a short-term deal in February, and has since gone on to break the record for most tries scored in England’s topflight competition with 95.
Wigglesworth’s deal means he will play on until after his 39th birthday.
Meanwhile, Kini Murimurivalu, Harry Simmons and Sean Jansen have also agreed new deals at Welford Road.