Wednesday Afternoon Round Up

Brummer to join Bulls in New Zealand

Flyhalf Francois Brummer will join the Bulls in New Zealand this week as they prepare to take on the Chiefs and Sunwolves in the next two weeks.

Brummer replaces Dries Swanepoel, who picked up an ankle injury and will return home.

Harry Thacker agrees to extend his contract at Tigers

Leicester Tigers have announced that Harry Thacker has agreed new contract terms at the club.

The 23-year-old is the son of former Tigers hooker Troy Thacker and older brother of development squad centre Charlie.

He recently passed 50 first-team appearances for the club since making his senior debut in November 2012.

Matthew Tait agrees new deal with Leicester Tigers

Leicester Tigers have agreed new contract terms with Mathew Tait that sees his stay extended beyond the end of the 2016/17 season.

Former England international Tait recently passed 100 appearances for the club since his Tigers debut in 2011. He captained the side to victory in the Anglo-Welsh Cup Final in March 2017 as the club collected its first silverware in four years.

Ryan Bower signs Worcester Warriors contract extension

Loosehead prop Ryan Bower has agreed a new deal to remain with Warriors.

Bower joined Warriors from Leicester Tigers in 2014 and played a vital role in his first season at the club as Warriors won the British & Irish Cup and promotion to the Premiership.  

He made 27 appearances in his first Sixways campaign and has gone on to play 52 times for the club to date. 

Dominic Bird and Michael Allardice re-sign with the Chiefs

The Chiefs have confirmed that Dominic Bird and Michael Allardice will continue Super Rugby careers with the Chiefs under incoming head coach Colin Cooper.

Dominic Bird has signed on for 2018, while Michael Allardice has committed for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

 See full article here

Harry Wells signs a new deal with Leicester Tigers

Leicester Tigers have announced that Peterborough-born Harry Wells has agreed to new contract terms at Leicester Tigers.

The 23 year-old has played in all six games in the successful Anglo-Welsh Cup campaign this season as well as making his first start in the Premiership in an away win over Harlequins.

See what he had to say about the new deal here

Michele Rizzo has agreed a new deal with Leicester Tigers

Leicester Tigers have confirmed that Italy international prop, Michele Rizzo, has agreed a new contract with the club.

The form of the 34-year-old Rizzo also earned him a recall to the Italy squad during the 2017 Six Nations and he now has 23 Test caps.

Full article here

Yoann Maestri charged with misconduct for comments about ref

France lock Yoann Maestri has received a misconduct charge for comments made about referee Wayne Barnes after their Six Nations win against Wales.

The 29-year-old allegedly criticised Barnes' decisions following a chaotic end to the game in Paris.

The independent Six Nations Disciplinary Committee said in a statement: "Maestri accepted that he had committed an act of misconduct and openly apologised for making the comments. A fine of €30,000 has been imposed on Mr Maestri, with one half (€15,000) payable within 30 days, and one half (€15,000) suspended until the end of the 2017/18 season."

The Disciplinary Committee also ordered Mr Maestri to pay Six Nations' legal costs.