Leicester confirm 2 signings from Australia, including Wallabies lock Blake Enever

Leicester Tigers have signed Australia international second row Blake Enever and English-qualified, versatile back Harry Potter. The 28-year-old Enever has made more than 50 Super Rugby appearances since his debut in 2012 for then-champions, the Queensland Reds, before moving to Canberra to join the ACT Brumbies in 2015.

He was called up to the national squad and made his Test debut for the Wallabies in 2017 against England at Twickenham. A hard-nosed, physical forward, capable of playing at both lock and in the back row, the 6ft 5in and 116kg Enever will add depth to the Tigers pack and experience at the set-piece.

Speaking about the Australian’s move, Tigers head coach Geordan Murphy said: “Blake is a strong addition to the club ahead of the new season and brings with him a wealth of experience from Super Rugby.

“He’s a big, physical and hard-working player, which is what we want in our pack, and someone our fans should be thrilled to see joining the club. A big, tall lineout caller and strong, physical addition to the scrum, who enjoys the hard stuff in the game in both attack and defence… it’s what you want in a lock!

“In our dealings with Blake so far we have been impressed by him as a young man who will add much more than what he offers on the pitch to our club and that is important to us as we move forward on our journey.”

Enever added: “Coming over to the UK and being a part of Premiership rugby while representing a club of Leicester’s standing is an exciting prospect,” he said. “Tigers has proven to be one of the strongest clubs in the UK and the opportunity to be a part of a club like Leicester is great.”

Enever joins Cyle Brink, Shalva Mamukashvili, Cameron Henderson and Oliver Chessum as additions to the forward pack, with Potter joining Nemani Nadolo, Matt Scott and Zack Henry as fresh Tigers backline options.

Potter, the 22-year-old who is capable of playing in the midfield and outside backs, was born in London and lived in the UK for a decade before his family emigrated to Melbourne. He previously represented NSW Country Eagles and Melbourne Rising in Australia’s National Rugby Championship before signing a professional contract with the Rebels in 2019.

Since 2016, Potter has appeared for Sydney University in the Shute Shield competition under the guidance of incoming Tigers attack coach Rob Taylor and played a starring role in the club’s back-to-back Premiership title-winning campaigns.

“Harry is a very talented young man who we are extremely excited about adding to our group here in Leicester,” said Leicester boss Murphy. “At only 22, he has a promising future ahead of him in the game and we are confident he will only continue to improve in our environment, while adding to our club.

“He is equally as impressive off the pitch as he is on it and in our conversations with him ahead of arriving, he’s shown a willingness to want to be a part of our journey.”

Potter added: “It was a whirlwind really, over about a week, before it was proposed and then I agreed to the move to Leicester. “I spoke to the coaches and was really impressed with the way they intend to run the club moving forward and it didn’t take much of a conversation to know Leicester Tigers is going to rise again.

“Coming over to the Premiership has always been something I wanted to do. I was so inspired by what I heard in chats with the club and what is ahead for Leicester Tigers, it was too good an opportunity to pass on.

“It sounds like it has been a tough couple of seasons for the club but the right people are leading the way and it’s clear that with hard work and commitment to the plans in place, Tigers are heading in the right direction.”