Ellis Genge and George Ford among the latest batch of 4 extended player contracts confirmed by Leicester
Ellis Genge certainly seems to have settled his differences for now with Leicester, the England prop going from being one of the players who potentially could have left the club due to the controversial permanent salary reductions to having that blow soothed by a contract extension agreement.
While Telusa Veainu became the first of five exiting Leicester players to sort out his future elsewhere on Tuesday, the Tongan back securing a three-year deal with Stade Francais, the Tigers have been in the process of announcing a slew of contract extensions.
To make up for the less lucrative salary terms on offer at Welford Road, Leicester have been offering extended contracts to multiple players to lighten the mood at the financially troubled club. George Worth, Sam Aspland-Robinson, Tommy Reffell, Jordan Olowofela and Ben White all put pen to paper on Monday.
South African back row Hanro Liebenberg, Samoan prop Nephi Leatigaga, Argentine prop Facundo Gigena and English second row Harry Wells following suit on Tuesday, while prop Genge, out-half George Ford, scrum-half Ben Youngs and midfielder Jaco Taute were among the further deals confirmed on Wednesday. The length of all these extensions remained unspecified by the club, though.
Genge had been outspoken in recent months about player salaries and welfare across the Gallagher Premiership, toying with the idea of setting up a new players union, Rugby Players Epoch, separate from the existing Rugby Players’ Association.
✍️ 𝙀𝙓𝙏𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙀𝘿!
The club has agreed a new deal with international @EllisGenge.
ℹ️ https://t.co/4tzVdKwRBA pic.twitter.com/DcbHtWyTNo
— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) July 8, 2020
However, despite his ambitions securing the support of 128 players, he eventually decided to put his plans on ice after becoming disillusioned with the laborious challenge of having to individually negotiate with all 13 stakeholder Premiership clubs. “(RPE) is not happening at the moment,” he said at the time. “If we find an opportunity to kick-start it again, then we will. For the time being, it’s a case of (players) dealing with their club independently.”
Genge’s own negotiations with Leicester resulted in an extension, but at reduced terms to what he had been on. “Ellis is a unique individual who we love having at Leicester Tigers,” said Geordan Murphy, the director of rugby. “I said in January, when he last re-signed, that what most excites me about Ellis is that he still has so much left to do in the game and so much growth in him as a player.
“You forget he is only 25, given what he has already achieved, and if he continues on the path he is on, with mentors like Boris Stankovich, Brett Deacon and now Steve Borthwick here in Leicester, it’s exciting to think about what we will get to see Ellis do in a Tigers shirt.
“He is passionate about this club, committed to his team-mates and what we are building at Tigers and to have him extend his deal, among more than 15 other players this week, is promising and exciting for everyone in Leicester.”
Tigers also agreed on terms with England out-half Ford and Test scrum-half Youngs. “George is one of the world’s best and to have him extend his contract, showing a belief in what we are building here and the vision we have for Leicester Tigers, is exciting,” said Murphy.
“He is as professional a player as I have seen in my career, as both a player and coach and one of the senior leaders at our club. George finds ways, every day, to improve himself as a player and represents what we believe is integral here in Leicester. There is a lot of hard work ahead for all of us at Tigers and we see George playing a key role, on and off the pitch, in our future.
“It’s pleasing to see Ben commit to the club long-term. He is one of the world’s best in his position and to have Ben commit to our plan and vision here in Leicester is exciting for everyone. Ben loves Leicester Tigers and, like all of us at this club, wants to see it get back to where it belongs.”
Regarding South African Taute, who joined in 2019 from Munster, the director of rugby added: “Jaco quickly became a leading figure in our changing room after arriving last summer. He is a student of the game and spends a lot of time working on improving himself and others, on and off the pitch.
“Jaco has earned this extension through hard work and a commitment to the club after only a year in Leicester and we are pleased to have him here for even longer now.”
ICYMI: Ellis Genge on whose advice he sounds out most – “I wouldn’t say I will have one mentor throughout my whole career. Kyle Traynor gives me advice. Danny Cipriani has given me advice… I speak to Joe Marler a lot. I speak to Kyle Sinckler a lot.”https://t.co/t0vJOxSIfg
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 11, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
After their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
2 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
31 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
3 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to comments