Fissler Confidential: Leicester's top recruitment priority; Quins raid Champ

Leicester Tigers are keen to tie down England lock Ollie Chessum to a new long-term contract and keep him at Welford Road after he entered the final year of his contract at the start of July.

Club captain Chessum is highly rated by Tigers boss Geoff Parling and is likely to draw serious interest from Gallagher PREM rivals, with his stock rising since he signed his last contract in December 2024.

The Tigers will be delighted if they can avoid a repeat of losing another international enforcer, George Martin, who joined Saracens when his Welford Road deal ran out at the end of last season.

Dan McFarland admits that renewing his working relationship with Gregor Townsend was a key factor in his decision to link up with Newcastle Red Bulls in the summer.

McFarland knows Townsend, who has a part-time role as a “strategic advisor” to the Austrian-owned energy drinks giant, from their time together north of the border with Glasgow Warriors and the Scotland national side.

“Him (Townsend) being here and consulting and being able to help in terms of guidance was a major attraction for me in joining the club. I really respect Gregor’s way of playing the game. It’s very important to me that I chat to him on a regular basis,” he said.

Former All Blacks tighthead Jeffery Toomaga-Allen appeared to be off on his travels once again and was in advanced talks of an injury-joker move to Bordeaux-Bègles but pulled the plug at the last minute.

Toomaga-Allen, 35, who earned his only All Blacks cap against Japan in November 2013, has since switched his international allegiance to Samoa and spent the last three seasons with the Queensland Reds.

The former Wasps and Ulster ace sent Bordeaux back to the drawing board when he decided against a move to France because of personal reasons.

Quins boss Jason Gilmore has launched a double raid on London Scottish for flanker Jake Spurway and tighthead Osman Dimen to strengthen his squad for the PREM Rugby Cup.

Former Scotland under-20 international Spurway is due to start against Northampton Saints at blindside, while Dimen, who has played for Bourgoin-Jallieu and Chambéry in the French third tier, will be on the bench after spending pre-season with the club.

Gilmore drafted in Royal Artillery and British Army tighthead Sitiveni Vasuturaga last week and he will make his first start against Saints at the Stoop.

La Rochelle who have got former England and Lions star Jack Nowell out of contract at the end of the season, are keen on a move for Pau’s former France under-20 and A international Grégoire Arfeuil.

Arfeuil, 21, scored 11 tries in 20 appearances for Pau and is in the final year of his deal; talks to get him to sign a new one recently broke down without an agreement.

But Ronan O’Gara faces stiff competition from Racing 92, Stade Français, and Montpellier, all of whom are interested in speaking to Arfeuil, who was born in Beaune, between Lyon, who are also keen, and Dijon.

Former Scotland and Lions star Richie Gray is taking his first steps into coaching after joining the staff of former club Toyota Verblitz, where he ended his long playing career.

Gray, 37, who won a Top 14 title with Toulouse in 2019 and a United Rugby Championship crown with Glasgow two years ago, won 77 caps for his country and another for the Lions.

He played 13 times for Verblitz and has joined Andrew Strawbridge, Sasaki Takamichi, Ueno Ryuta and Sugimoto Koichi on Ian Foster’s staff when the players report back for pre-season training.

Former Edinburgh scrum-half Charlie Shiel could move to Pro D2 high-flyers Biarritz Olympique, who have started the season with two wins out of three games and are third in the early-season table.

Shiel, 28, has made 107 appearances for the Scottish capital club, but Biarritz, who beat Colomiers 38-20 on Thursday evening, are in the market for an injury joker to cover for Anoa Laurent.

Midi Olympique are also reporting that Shiels’ CV has also been sent to Bayonne, who are also in the market for a scrum-half to bolster their squad this season.

Bath look set to move for young Argentine front row Marcos Camerrinckx, who has played for his country at under-20 level at both tighthead and hooker.

X account Comentarista. Rugby is reporting that the 22-year-old, highly rated in Argentina and having come through the ranks at Club Regatas de Bella Vista before joining Pampas XV, is close to securing a move to the West Country outfit.

He would become the second South American in Bath’s squad, with Pumas fly-half Santi Carreras already at the club following a summer 2025 move from Gloucester.