England prop Genge to stay with Tigers

England prop Ellis Genge has been backed to have a "huge career" by Leicester Tigers head coach Matt O'Connor after signing a new contract with the Premiership club.

Genge joined the Tigers on loan from Bristol last season and secured a permanent move to Welford Road ahead of the current campaign.

The 22-year-old has now agreed to extend his stay with the Tigers and O'Connor thinks there is plenty more to come from front-row forward, who was last week named in the England squad for the tour of Argentina.

O'Connor said: "Ellis has made a big impact in his time here and he is making progress all the time.

"He is still a young man, especially in prop terms, but his all-round game continues to improve and he is in the right place to develop with the staff and senior players around him.

"Marcos Ayerza has just confirmed his retirement and we think Ellis has a lot of similar characteristics and traits about his game, and with the right mentoring he can go on to have a huge career in the game."

Genge said: "Leicester Tigers is a club with a lot of success and a big history. There is a big emphasis on the front row here and if you look at the list of international players, the Tigers have probably had as many front-rowers there as any club.

"I came here to develop as a player and I feel I have come on a lot since I joined the club. I've been learning all the time working with people like Marcos Ayerza, Dan Cole and now Boris Stankovich."

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