Leicester close in on another big piece of contract business

Leicester Tigers are closing in on another eve-of-season boost, with England scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet nearing a new deal.

Norfolk-born Van Poortvliet, 25, joined the Tigers academy at 12 and is in advanced talks with the club about putting pen to paper on a new long-term deal.

The Tigers, who missed out on a Gallagher PREM final appearance last season after losing a semi-final to arch-rivals Northampton Saints, kick off the new campaign against Saracens at Welford Road on Sunday afternoon.

Van Poortvliet, whose current deal expires in the summer, told RugbyPass last month about the pain of watching Saints celebrate winning the title and said he believes the Tigers have the squad to go all the way this season.

“If you see anyone lift the PREM, especially the team which beats you in the semi-final, it does leave a bitter taste in your mouth. But we want to win it for ourselves and not just to stop someone else.

“We have a real winning mentality in this squad and fell short last time. But now it’s about delivering it, and when I look around the dressing room, I’m confident we have the squad to win it.

“You always feel hurt at losing a semi-final. I’ve lost two of them and a final in my career. But we also know how good it feels to win it, and we are going to chase that feeling,” he said.

It will be another significant boost for the Tigers, who last week secured fly-half Billy Searle on a new long-term deal and are attempting to lock down England and Lions loose forward Ollie Chessum.

Chessum had a 90-minute meeting with Tigers CEO Andrea Pinchen last week, and although his CV has been doing the rounds in France, confidence is growing that a deal will be done, especially with the World Cup a year away.

The Tigers will then look to speak to Joaquin Moro and Ollie Hassell-Collins to sort out their futures after they entered the final year of their deals.