Leicester's Tuesday morning shopping spree includes two South Africans and an unheralded Irishman
Geordan Murphy has had a very productive Tuesday morning, the Leicester coach rubber-stamping three new signings.
Back row Hanro Liebenberg is arriving in for the 2019/20 Gallagher Premiership season from the Bulls in Super Rugby, EW Viljoen is coming from the Stormers, while Irishman Jordan Coghlan has agreed on a move from Championship side Nottingham.
Liebenberg, who can play across the back row positions, played his youth team rugby at Boland before moving to Pretoria to play in the Currie Cup with the Bulls. He earned his first selection in 2015 and followed in his brother Wiaan’s footsteps by captaining South Africa Under-20s at the World Junior Championships.
Tigers head coach Geordan Murphy said: “Hanro is an aggressive ball-carrier and a physical player around the field, in the best traditions of South African back-row players. He has gained a good level of experience already for a 23-year-old and has good leadership qualities too. His best years in the game should still be ahead of him and we look forward to welcoming him for next season.”
Liebenberg added: “The opportunity to play in the Premiership is one I am very excited about and to do it at a club of Leicester’s tradition and standing is a huge honour. The Tigers fans are well known around the world as some of the best in rugby and I am looking forward to playing at Welford Road in front of them, alongside my new team-mates.
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The club has agreed terms with South African back-rower Hanro Liebenberg ahead of the 2019/20 season.
Read more ?? https://t.co/gfjwEV7UQM pic.twitter.com/QCyf4g2mLv
— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) July 2, 2019
South African outside back Viljoen, who has represented his country at schoolboy and under-20s level, has made 28 appearances for the Cape Town-based Stormers since his 2017 debut.
Viljoen made his Currie Cup debut for the Western Province in 2014 and was selected in the Springboks Under-20s squad for the Junior World Championship the following year.
Murphy said: “EW is a versatile, skilful and exciting player to have as part of our group. He has an impressive resumé for a young man and, at only 24, it’s encouraging to know he still has plenty of improvement left in him. He adds a lot to our outside-back stocks and provides valuable depth in the squad.”
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EW Viljoen has agreed terms with Leicester Tigers and will join the club ahead of the 2019/20 season.
Read more ?? https://t.co/Ap9OqxHlSB pic.twitter.com/Y8EjKhSasY
— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) July 2, 2019
Viljoen added: “The chance to represent a club like Leicester Tigers is one I could not pass up and I’m very excited about the challenge of playing in Premiership rugby.
“I want to play my role and make a contribution to getting Tigers back to where a club of their history and tradition belongs, which I believe Geordan Murphy is building towards.
“It’s an exciting chance to experience northern-hemisphere rugby and I can’t think of a better place to be able to do that than Welford Road.”
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Jordan Coghlan has agreed a move to Leicester Tigers from Championship side Nottingham Rugby ahead of the 2019/20 season.
Read more ?? https://t.co/2ihKorKwtv pic.twitter.com/OXmJpDWvkX
— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) July 2, 2019
Meanwhile, Irish-born back row Coghlan has spent the past three seasons with Nottingham after stints with both Leinster and Munster. Born in Dublin, he joined Leinster’s academy at 16 and made his senior debut in 2012. He also represented Ireland Under-20s and was a two-time winner of the British and Irish Cup.
In 2015, Coghlan joined Munster and made eight appearances in one season before moving to Nottingham. He has since made more than 60 appearances for the East Midlands club.
“Jordan is a physical, athletic and experienced player who we are looking forward to welcoming into the club,” declared Tigers boss Murphy.
“His junior career speaks for itself and achievements in Ireland as a young man has served him well in his career. He is an exciting talent and he has earned his spot with impressive showings for Nottingham over recent seasons.”
Coghlan, 26, added: “This is Leicester Tigers – the most successful club in English history. For me, to be part of that is a huge honour.
“Geordan Murphy is working hard to build something special here and get Tigers back to the top of the Premiership, where they belong, and I’m happy to be a part of that. I’m just looking forward to getting stuck in.”
WATCH: Episode one of The Academy, the six-part RugbyPass documentary series on how Leicester Tigers develop their young players
Comments on RugbyPass
Andy Goode pushing his own agenda with very dubious considerations on refereeing performances. Luke Pearce speaking a bit of French doesn’t make him a good and adequate referee for the Champions Cup final; his latest refereeing performance in particular was not so great.
4 Go to commentsJordie knows that he has to earn the right to put on the jersey, whatever that jersey might be.
4 Go to commentsThe best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
2 Go to commentsYip his great for the big moments when needed as a safa really enjoy watching him
4 Go to commentsOne that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
4 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
116 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
2 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
4 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
4 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
116 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to comments