England duo Ellis Genge and George Ford have both put an end to uncertainty surrounding their futures at Leicester Tigers by agreeing new contracts.
As first reported by The Rugby Paper's Neil Fissler on November 10, Leicester were closing in on an agreement with the England international prop after a rival offer from Bristol Bears fell short of the mark.
The same club also had an interest in Leicester fly-half Ford who, like Genge, was in the final year of his contract this season.
In addtion to utility back George Worth and wing Sam Aspland-Robinson, both Genge and Ford have now committed to Leicester Tigers beyond this season.
And for Genge, capped 12 times by his country, he sees his development at Tigers continuing to grow.
“Leicester is the club for me going forward and I am genuinely over the moon to be re-signing,” Genge said.
“The only way is up. It will be positive, I would not have signed if I did not believe that.
“We are aware it is not the Tigers of old. It is a new generation, the next generation. We need to make our own legacy.
“I can see where this club is going, I know where it is going to end up and that is all that matters to me.”
Leicester's struggles of last season have remained, with the club sitting 11th in the Premiership standings.
Ford was direct in his assertion that the club has fallen from where it was once as a Premiership play-off regular. But that the negotiations with the club had come with knowledge of plans to breathe life back into the team.
“It's going to be small building blocks, rebuilding little and often, rather than an overnight fix – that's the bit that was difficult for me,” said Ford.
“I want to be successful, part of a team that is winning trophies and in an environment that is doing that.
“I love this club it's not anywhere near where people want it to be.
“If I didn't believe we could make improvements, it might have been a different story, but I genuinely believe that.
“I believe in sticking it out through tough times and coming out at the other end.”
