Leicester Tigers form new association with Loughborough University

Leicester Tigers have confirmed a new deal with Loughborough University to provide development opportunities for coaches and young talents.

The partnership will see Tigers' players and coaches accessing the National One League programme of the university to mutually help each other in gaining valuable practice and experiencing real time game environment.

A number of Tigers players including props Riccardo Brugnara and Ben Betts, and academy scrum-half Harry Simmons, have been part of the university team in recent years while Dave Bassett, who recently joined the Welford Road based club as rugby co-ordinator was from a management role at Loughborough.

According to the new deal, Leicester Tigers development coach Brett Deacon will be in charge of the university's National One team and will be assisted by club colleague Boris Stankovich, who will be scrum coach.

Leicester Tigers head of rugby operations Ged Glynn is delighted with the new partnership which he feels will benefit a number of young talents.

“We are delighted to be able to have a mutually beneficial agreement in place with Loughborough University,” said Glynn.

“The University has very high standards and a record of excellence in sport. This new agreement will allow us to integrate our young players as a group with a Loughborough University squad which is playing at a good standard in the National League and we hope both sides will benefit accordingly.

“Having Brett Deacon on the coaching staff and working in both camps allows us to have a very clear focus on those players and a deep knowledge of their progress in that important area between academy and first-team rugby.”

The new partnership will also see students from Loughborough University represent Leicester Tigers in the Singha Premiership Rugby Sevens at Northampton next weekend.