Sponsored by
Academy products Biggs and Vickerman leaving Leeds Carnegie
ENGLAND Sevens stars Tom Biggs and Rob Vickerman are to leave Leeds Carnegie as Andy Key and Neil Back step up their preparations for the Guinness Premiership.
The two academy products are among eight players who will not be retained next season by the National One champions, with fly-half Alberto Di Bernardo and back row Jon Dunbar also on the move.
Those losses are offset by an octet of players who have signed up to try to keep Leeds in the game's elite, including captain Mike MacDonald who has agreed a two-year contract.
No 8 Rhys Oakley and full-back Leigh Hinton have also penned two-year deals while winger Lee Blackett, full-back Jon Goodridge and hooker Rob Rawlinson have signed one-year extensions.
Saxons second row Kearnan Myall has extended his current deal by a further year and Juan Gomez has made his loan move from Leinster permanent.
Adam Hopcroft, Andy Boyde, Chris Steel and James Brooks – who has signed for Doncaster – are the other players leaving Headingley, but it is the departure of Sevens duo Biggs and Vickerman which is the biggest news.
Biggs, the club's record tryscorer, is out of contract this summer and will end his long association with the club he signed for as a teenager by joining another Premiership side, thought to be Newcastle Falcons.
Leicester and Toulon have also shown interest in the 24-year-old winger, while one man almost certain to be heading to France is Di Bernardo, the Argentinian fly-half who is set to agree terms with Bourgoin.
Vickerman, who like his fellow Hull native Biggs has been at the club since his teenage years, has been linked with London Irish.
Head coach Back said: "Both Tom and Rob have done extremely well with the England Sevens this year and we wish them well with their international ambitions.
"They, along with Jon Dunbar, have been part of the club for a considerable period and on behalf of everyone at Headingley we would like to thank them for everything they have done for us."
Director of rugby Key hinted at the weekend that Leeds will be making eight signings this summer, with South Africa second row Marco Wentzel the first to have signed on at Headingley.
Leeds have made another as yet un-named signing and are at an advanced stage in discussions with four others.
"We are delighted to have offered so many of the Championship-winning squad new deals which they certainly deserve," said Key.
"We will be looking to add quality to this group of players."
Email to a friend
Print this page- Leeds lose Ward to Palace: Is there anyone they can afford now?
- Sheffield Wednesday leaving it late to hijack Leeds United over Ward
- As Snodgrass dithers over Leeds, Warnock throws a lifeline
- Ball is in Leeds United’s court over contract - Snodgrass
- Police turning blind eye to Asian voter fraud, says MP
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
