The new Aviva Premiership Rugby Champions the Leicester Tigers have announced that Manu Tuilagi, the England international centre, has signed a new long term contract with the club after agreeing terms over the new deal. The 22 year old, who is currently in Hong Kong with the British and Irish Lions, is a product of the youth system of the club and has scored 19 tries in just 62 appearances for the club, including a try in the club’s Aviva Premiership play-off final match against their arch rivals the Northampton Saints.

Richard Cockerill, the Director of Rugby of the club stated in a statement that the player is absolutely world class and he has taken on every challenge that has been thrown his way without the slightest hesitation in the last three years as a senior professional and it was important that the Leicester Tigers made their best efforts to hold on to the youngster and he is extremely pleased that he has agreed an signed the new deal.

Cockerill further mentioned that anyone who follows rugby knows what Tuilagi is capable of but the best thing about him is that he is still developing and maturing, so every season, he just keeps getting better and better and that could only mean good news for the club as well as the England team ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup on home soil.

Cockerill also admitted that Manu Tuilagi was thrilled to have been able to follow in the footsteps of his brothers into the club, before going on to add that the Leicester Tigers is his home and everyone at the club and the player himself is thrilled that the relationship between them will last for the foreseeable future as things can get only better from here now for both.