Woods snared by Tigers
Leicester have completed the signing of promising openside flank Ben Woods from Newcastle for the forthcoming season.
Leicester have completed the signing of promising openside flank Ben Woods from Newcastle for the forthcoming season.
The hard-working player joins the Tigers from Kingston Park with England Saxons honours already under his belt.
And the 26-year-old is pleased to have secured the move to the Guinness Premiership finalists as he looks to continue his climb up the rugby ladder.
“Leicester have been at the forefront of English rugby for as long as I can remember,” said Woods.
“Every time there is a trophy to be played for, Leicester are there or thereabouts, no more so than in the last couple of seasons.
“Newcastle Falcons have been a big part of my life for the last seven or eight years, but I think the time is right now to test myself in a different environment.
“It is going to be a massive challenge moving to a new club after coming up through the ranks at Newcastle and leaving all that behind. But it is an exciting challenge and one I am looking forward to.”
Woods' new Forwards Coach Richard Cockerill was equally delighted to have brought the player to Welford Road for next term.
“Ben is a dynamic player in a specialist role, with some good experience in the Guinness Premiership,” he said.
“He is an ambitious player and he wants to make an impression here. I am sure he will become an important member of a competitive squad.”
Meanwhile, Leicester's veteran fly-half Paul Burke has announced his retirement from rugby with immediate effect.
A persistent knee injury has forced the 35-year-old former Ireland international to bring his sixteen-year career to an end after two seasons with Tigers.
“Your body always tells you when it's the end of your playing days,” said Burke.
“The mind would love to keep on playing but the body is saying other things. I do hope to stay in the game in some capacity, though.”
“Coming here was a fantastic move. Being part of the success in my first year, particularly winning the EDF Energy Cup, was massive.
“You know that if you come to a club like Leicester you're going to be in the hunt for trophies because of the calibre of the squad that we have here. Every competition we enter, we want to win it.”
And Burke admitted that the change since the game turned professional has greatly rewarded the new breed of players entering the sport.
“There's no comparison from when I started playing, really. Everything, both on and off the field, has changed.
“We were originally training two nights a week and then, at the start of professionalism, we tended to over train.
“We were being paid so we didn't think we could have a day off. As the years have rolled on, the game has become really professional and it's a great a time for youngsters to come into the sport.”