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Alex Lewington signs for Saracens

By Online Editors
Alex Lewington to join Saracens

Saracens have today confirmed the signing of 26-year-old winger Alex Lewington from London Irish, he will join at the start of the 2018/19 season.

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The former Leicester Tigers man has enjoyed a breakout year for Irish and Saracens are excited to add him to their ranks ahead of next season’s campaign.

He represented England Saxons in South Africa during the summer of 2016 and has scored 24 tries in 63 matches for Irish since joining from Leicester in 2013.

Speaking exclusively to Saracens.com, Lewington said: “I’m looking forward to working with the squad and the world class talent that Saracens are lucky enough to have, I’m also looking forward to working with the coaching team, and how they can improve my game.”

Lewington comes into the backline with a reputation as a clinical finisher and has scored six tries in this year’s Premiership already for the Exiles. He has also made 24 clean breaks, the second most in the league, showing his skills as an ambitious attacking player.

The Englishman comes into an environment that has enjoyed large amounts of success in recent years. He explained: “I’ve heard great things about the Saracens environment and I believe I will thrive within it – which should inspire me to push on and improve my game over the next couple of years.”

Lewington has shown loyalty to Irish since joining as a 21-year-old in 2013 and thanked the Reading-based club for their support shown to him since then. He won the Championship with Irish last season as they made their way back into the Aviva Premiership.

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Speaking of his time with London Irish, he said: “I will of course miss London Irish. I’m eternally grateful as they gave me the chance to play Premiership rugby.”

“I will miss my friends there,” he added, “But I’m looking forward to building new relationships at Saracens”.

London Irish director of rugby Nick Kennedy said: “Alex joined us from Leicester in 2013, having been on loan at Nottingham and his game has significantly improved during his time here.

“He came back from a serious injury last year and his nine tries in 10 appearances during the season run-in helped us win the Championship and gain promotion back to the Aviva Premiership.

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“We would like to thank Alex for his service and we wish him well for the future.”

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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