Duo pen new deals at Welford Road
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Leicester Tigers have confirmed the two more players who have signed fresh deals at the club with front-rower Ellis Genge and utility back Jaco Taute both committing to the side.
Ellis Genge has made 70 first-team appearances for Leicester since making his debut in March 2016. He initially signed on loan from Bristol and made the move permanent at the conclusion of the 2015/16 season and has now extended a contract which the loosehead prop re-signed in January of this year. A fan-favourite at Welford Road, the hard-hitting, hard-running Genge is a senior figure in the Leicester squad at just 25 years of age.
Ellis Genge has signed a new deal with Leicester Tigers ✍️ pic.twitter.com/Z3rHGI0yj4
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) July 8, 2020
Taute joined Leicester Tigers in the summer of 2019 after three years with Munster Rugby and spells with the Lions and Stormers in Super Rugby. The back made his international debut for the Springboks as a 21-year-old in 2012 and has played more than 100 senior matches in a professional career spanning more than a decade and across both hemispheres.
Speaking about Genge's renewed deal, Leicester Tigers Director of Rugby Geordan Murphy said: “Ellis is a unique individual who we love having at Leicester Tigers.
“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.”
Speaking about Taute's renewed deal, Leicester Tigers Director of Rugby Geordan Murphy said: “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.
“His belief in what we have set out as our vision is a confidence boost for all of us at the club and the challenge to Jaco now is to continue playing the key senior role in seeing us back to where we belong through the hard work we know is ahead.
“What I have most enjoyed about Jaco since he arrived is how much he bought into the club, what it represents and his passion for Leicester Tigers.”