Tuilagi extends Leicester contract

England centre Manu Tuilagi has ended speculation about his future by becoming the latest of their players to sign a new contract with Leicester, the club said on Monday.

The 24-year-old could have become a free agent at the end of this campaign, but after spending his whole career at the club said he was "very happy" to remain at Welford Road, although details of the contract have yet to be revealed.

"The Tigers has been a big part of my life and following my brothers into the team here was a very proud moment for me," Tuilagi told the Tigers website.

"It is a great club and I'm very settled here. The club and the supporters have been very good to me.

"The way the team has been playing this season is very exciting with Aaron Mauger as head coach and that is another reason I'm looking forward to getting back out on the pitch in Tigers colours."

Leicester's director of rugby Richard Cockerill was relieved his star player had resisted chances to join rivals Wasps and Saracens.

"Manu is a world-class talent and we are delighted that he sees his future with us. We always wanted him to stay," Cockerill told the club website.

Samoa-born Tuilagi has a chequered disciplinary record, having infamously jumped off a ferry into Auckland harbour following England's quarter-final exit at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

He also caused embarrassment in some quarters when he appeared in a photo making a "bunny ears" gesture behind British Prime Minister David Cameron at a reception for the victorious 2013 British and Irish Lions squad after the combined side's 2-1 series win in Australia.

And he missed this year's World Cup in England after being banned from playing for his country having pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a pair of female police officers.

Tuilagi's England team-mates Ben Youngs and Freddie Burns also agreed new contracts with Leicester, as has the club's captain Ed Slater.
Source: AFP