Prop Bower returns to Leicester after 6 years with Worcester

Leicester Tigers have announced that prop Ryan Bower is returning to Welford Road after a six-year spell with Worcester Warriors. Bower made seven senior appearances for Leicester before making the move to Worcester in 2014, lining out for the Warriors 105 times.

The loosehead made his Leicester debut at just 19 years old and spent two seasons on loan at Nottingham before joining Worcester.

"Ryan is well known to many at Tigers and we are glad to see him back with us in Leicester," said Leicester director of rugby Geordan Murphy.

"He is a local lad who understands what being a Leicester Tigers player is about and returns to the club after some impressive seasons away with Worcester, where he grew into a senior member of the Warriors club.

"Ryan adds valuable depth in our front-row stocks and is the type of player we are interested in having here at Tigers, who work hard and are committed to what we are building here in Leicester."

The 29-year-old Bower said: "Tigers is the club I’ve always supported, from a young age in Leicester, and it’s a great opportunity to be back playing for the club again.

"After speaking with Geordan and Steve, there is a clear vision on how the team are going to play the game and an obvious focus on working hard.

"There is a lot of experience at Tigers in the front row, with guys like Tom Youngs, Dan Cole and Ellis Genge, who will push all of us to stay at the highest standard.

"It’s exciting to see the young guys making their way up too from the club’s academy and I know what they’re feeling and thinking from my own experiences, which is what I can help them with.

"We need to bring respect back to Leicester Tigers and there is an obvious want from everyone to do that, while tapping into the history of the club and building something new for fans to be proud of."