LEICESTER TIGERS 2023/24 - Crocodile McKeller: Men at Work

[Rugbygramps]

Really happy we're keeping hold of Simmonds.

Not so pleased Cronin. He's 33 and his scrum work is fading in effectiveness. Got to hope that deal is a significant reduction because he's not a likely starter and probably should be third choice if we can bring in a good loosehead.

Not sure I agree but again we’ll see. The market is hardly awash with quality props

[Rugbygramps]

Matt Scott will be leaving and returning to Edinburgh (the city, not necessarily the team) at the end of the season.

Brave to come out with that prediction when we know there's likely 2 more extensions announced today plus rumours of other centres going...

It's come from a reliable source!

If correct and I’ve no reason to doubt, with rumours about Porter too, might suggest we are keeping Cocanasinga

[sam16111986]

Really happy we're keeping hold of Simmonds.

Not so pleased Cronin. He's 33 and his scrum work is fading in effectiveness. Got to hope that deal is a significant reduction because he's not a likely starter and probably should be third choice if we can bring in a good loosehead.

Not sure I agree but again we’ll see. The market is hardly awash with quality props

Quality props are indeed hard to come by but if the rumours around Tom West and Will Goodrick-Clarke is still sat in the Championship then there are certainly EQ looseheads about that we could possibly target. They are both younger and better at scrum time than Cronin but it might be that we entered negotiations and couldn't reach an agreement. Time will tell when we see the full make up of the squad.

[Leicestertinytiger]

Really happy we're keeping hold of Simmonds.

Not so pleased Cronin. He's 33 and his scrum work is fading in effectiveness. Got to hope that deal is a significant reduction because he's not a likely starter and probably should be third choice if we can bring in a good loosehead.

Not sure I agree but again we’ll see. The market is hardly awash with quality props

Quality props are indeed hard to come by but if the rumours around Tom West and Will Goodrick-Clarke is still sat in the Championship then there are certainly EQ looseheads about that we could possibly target. They are both younger and better at scrum time than Cronin but it might be that we entered negotiations and couldn't reach an agreement. Time will tell when we see the full make up of the squad.

WGC rumoured to be going to Exeter. Cronin is a fine backup prop. Given we’re rumoured to be signing Eloff, given Cronin is staying next season I doubt West will be coming in now sadly.

[Tiglon]

With Cronin I agree it depends who comes in. If it's Cronin, Whitcombe and Van Wyk as our top 3 LHs then I will be a bit disappointed.

Whiteley is a good 3rd choice 9. Makes perfect sense to extend his contract.

Simmons is definitely worth continuing with. I do wonder though, why there are so many who want Simmons but not Watson - if anything Simmons has the worse injury record and I highly doubt Watson is on anything like Manu money, otherwise the RFU wouldn't have had to subsidise him this season.

[AViewFromLe2]

I can understand the reservations about Cronin, to me is has not been the same player since the initial few months. The one thing I would say is that we have Wiese leaving already, plus the likes of Porter, Van Wyk and now Scott rumoured to be off - keeping the rest of the current squad together as much as possible is probably guiding the club somewhat.

Keeping as much cohesion as possible is probably their priority, especially given we have had the change in Head Coach and his philosophies. Plus we may be getting a new attack coach so they are probably trying to keep as much of the squad together as possible. Cronin staying on may have guided that - plus if he has taken a pay cut to stay then there may have also had a factor. The new signings and the overall make up of the squad will be important to fully form a proper opinion i guess.

[Rugbygramps]

Not sure I agree but again we’ll see. The market is hardly awash with quality props

Quality props are indeed hard to come by but if the rumours around Tom West and Will Goodrick-Clarke is still sat in the Championship then there are certainly EQ looseheads about that we could possibly target. They are both younger and better at scrum time than Cronin but it might be that we entered negotiations and couldn't reach an agreement. Time will tell when we see the full make up of the squad.

WGC rumoured to be going to Exeter. Cronin is a fine backup prop. Given we’re rumoured to be signing Eloff, given Cronin is staying next season I doubt West will be coming in now sadly.

Did I see Hepburn moving to Edinburgh now he’s Scottish

[anz3001]

Hanro for 2!

[TigerFeetSteve]

Hanro signed for another 2 years...

[Stephen18]

Really happy we're keeping hold of Simmonds.

Not so pleased Cronin. He's 33 and his scrum work is fading in effectiveness. Got to hope that deal is a significant reduction because he's not a likely starter and probably should be third choice if we can bring in a good loosehead.

Andrea said yesterday in her interview they’re working on a 3 year recruitment plan, so maybe Cronin has been sign on just a 1 year deal as a stop gap until their 1st choice becomes available or they feel Whitcombe is ready to step up as 1st choice. I reckon he can still do a job especially with the right tight head with him, got to feel coley has to announce his international retirement soon, and with Montoya and Clare about more. Hopefully it the same with a ball carrying 8, all this talk of not signing a replacement for wiese is just whist they wait for an 8 to become available.

[Rugbygramps]

Hanro signed for another 2 years...

Fantastic sort of player squads stay together around

[TigerFeetSteve]

https://twitter.com/LeicesterTigers/sta ... ikA2A&s=19

Club don't normally announce lengths so it's pretty useful for the player to tell us...

[PeteK]

Hanro signed for another 2 years...

Wished they had nailed down on 5 for Hanro.

[sam16111986]

Quality props are indeed hard to come by but if the rumours around Tom West and Will Goodrick-Clarke is still sat in the Championship then there are certainly EQ looseheads about that we could possibly target. They are both younger and better at scrum time than Cronin but it might be that we entered negotiations and couldn't reach an agreement. Time will tell when we see the full make up of the squad.

WGC rumoured to be going to Exeter. Cronin is a fine backup prop. Given we’re rumoured to be signing Eloff, given Cronin is staying next season I doubt West will be coming in now sadly.

Did I see Hepburn moving to Edinburgh now he’s Scottish

Be an odd move. There's no requirement to be in Scotland to be selected for international duty and he's made his career at Exeter.

[TigerFeetSteve]

So with all 4 from the club announced this morning this is the state of the senior squad contracts...

Current Season (23/24)
Last Season (22/23)
21/22 Season
20/21 Season & before


Hanro Liebenberg - 07/03/24 re-signed
Harry Simmons - 07/03/24 re-signed
James Cronin - 07/03/24 re-signed
Tom Whiteley - 07/03/24 re-signed
Mike Brown - 05/01/24 re-signed
Ben Youngs - 21/12/23 re-signed
Joe Heyes - 21/12/23 re-signed
George Martin - 21/12/23 re-signed
Anthony Watson - 02/11/23 signed
Matt Rogerson - 04/07/23 signed
Kieran Wilkinson - 04/07/23 signed
Sam Carter - 25/05/23 signed
Solomone Kata - 25/05/23 signed
Ollie Hassell-Collins - 28/03/23 signed
Cam Henderson - 28/03/23 re-signed
Josh Bassett - 25/01/23 signed
Kyle Hatherall - 25/01/23 signed
Jamie Shillcock - 25/01/23 signed
Finn Theobald-Thomas- 25/01/23 signed
Charlie Clare - 24/01/23 re-signed
Dan Cole - 24/01/23 re-signed
Dan Kelly - 24/01/23 re-signed
Dan Richardson - 24/01/23 re-signed
Freddie Steward - 28/09/22 re-signed
Jack Van Poortvliet - 28/09/22 re-signed
Ollie Chessum - 18/08/22 re-signed
Will Hurd - 18/08/22 re-signed
Julián Montoya -18/08/22 re-signed
Guy Porter - 18/08/22 re-signed
Harry Wells - 18/08/22 re-signed
James Whitcombe - 18/08/22 resigned
Phil Cokansigna - 12/05/22 signed
Olly Cracknell - 12/05/22 signed
Nic Dolly - 01/02/22 re-signed
Matt Scott - 01/02/22 re-signed
Handrè Pollard - 07/12/21 signed
Francois Van Wyk - 08/03/21 signed
Jasper Wiese - 08/03/21 CONFIRMED LEAVING
Tommy Reffell - 06/07/20 re-signed (rumored rolling long term)

Guys in Red are out of contract (unless on a long term rolling contract like Reffell)

Guys in Blue on 2 year deals are out of contract, but a 2+1 or 3 year deal they may be contracted already.

Guys in Green unless they signed only for one season (may be the case for say a LI player like Rogerson) they are already contracted for next year, though as this forum is aware Porter may be looking to leave early.

Guys in Orange, already contracted for next year, though Watson is the only one who could have signed a short term deal that only goes to this summer.