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Leicester's Tuesday morning shopping spree includes two South Africans and an unheralded Irishman

By Online Editors

02 Jul 2019

Hanro Liebenberg, one of three Leicester signings on Tuesday, featured for the Bulls against the Hurricanes in the recent Super Rugby quarter-finals in Wellington (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Geordan Murphy has had a very productive Tuesday morning, the Leicester coach rubber-stamping three new signings.

Back row Hanro Liebenberg is arriving in for the 2019/20 Gallagher Premiership season from the Bulls in Super Rugby, EW Viljoen is coming from the Stormers, while Irishman Jordan Coghlan has agreed on a move from Championship side Nottingham.

Liebenberg, who can play across the back row positions, played his youth team rugby at Boland before moving to Pretoria to play in the Currie Cup with the Bulls. He earned his first selection in 2015 and followed in his brother Wiaan’s footsteps by captaining South Africa Under-20s at the World Junior Championships.

Tigers head coach Geordan Murphy said: “Hanro is an aggressive ball-carrier and a physical player around the field, in the best traditions of South African back-row players. He has gained a good level of experience already for a 23-year-old and has good leadership qualities too. His best years in the game should still be ahead of him and we look forward to welcoming him for next season.”

Liebenberg added: “The opportunity to play in the Premiership is one I am very excited about and to do it at a club of Leicester’s tradition and standing is a huge honour. The Tigers fans are well known around the world as some of the best in rugby and I am looking forward to playing at Welford Road in front of them, alongside my new team-mates.

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The club has agreed terms with South African back-rower Hanro Liebenberg ahead of the 2019/20 season.
Read more ?? https://t.co/gfjwEV7UQM pic.twitter.com/QCyf4g2mLv
— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) July 2, 2019

South African outside back Viljoen, who has represented his country at schoolboy and under-20s level, has made 28 appearances for the Cape Town-based Stormers since his 2017 debut.

Viljoen made his Currie Cup debut for the Western Province in 2014 and was selected in the Springboks Under-20s squad for the Junior World Championship the following year.

Murphy said: “EW is a versatile, skilful and exciting player to have as part of our group. He has an impressive resumé for a young man and, at only 24, it’s encouraging to know he still has plenty of improvement left in him. He adds a lot to our outside-back stocks and provides valuable depth in the squad.”

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EW Viljoen has agreed terms with Leicester Tigers and will join the club ahead of the 2019/20 season.
Read more ?? https://t.co/Ap9OqxHlSB pic.twitter.com/Y8EjKhSasY
— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) July 2, 2019

Viljoen added: “The chance to represent a club like Leicester Tigers is one I could not pass up and I’m very excited about the challenge of playing in Premiership rugby.

“I want to play my role and make a contribution to getting Tigers back to where a club of their history and tradition belongs, which I believe Geordan Murphy is building towards.

“It’s an exciting chance to experience northern-hemisphere rugby and I can’t think of a better place to be able to do that than Welford Road.”

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Jordan Coghlan has agreed a move to Leicester Tigers from Championship side Nottingham Rugby ahead of the 2019/20 season.
Read more ?? https://t.co/2ihKorKwtv pic.twitter.com/OXmJpDWvkX
— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) July 2, 2019

Meanwhile, Irish-born back row Coghlan has spent the past three seasons with Nottingham after stints with both Leinster and Munster. Born in Dublin, he joined Leinster’s academy at 16 and made his senior debut in 2012. He also represented Ireland Under-20s and was a two-time winner of the British and Irish Cup.

In 2015, Coghlan joined Munster and made eight appearances in one season before moving to Nottingham. He has since made more than 60 appearances for the East Midlands club.

“Jordan is a physical, athletic and experienced player who we are looking forward to welcoming into the club,” declared Tigers boss Murphy.

Stormers’ EW Viljoen has been snapped up by Leicester Tigers for the 2019/20 season (Photo by Dianne Manson/Getty Images)

“His junior career speaks for itself and achievements in Ireland as a young man has served him well in his career. He is an exciting talent and he has earned his spot with impressive showings for Nottingham over recent seasons.”

Coghlan, 26, added: “This is Leicester Tigers – the most successful club in English history. For me, to be part of that is a huge honour.

“Geordan Murphy is working hard to build something special here and get Tigers back to the top of the Premiership, where they belong, and I’m happy to be a part of that. I’m just looking forward to getting stuck in.”

WATCH: Episode one of The Academy, the six-part RugbyPass documentary series on how Leicester Tigers develop their young players

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Comments on RugbyPass

GrahamVF 46 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

500k registered players in SA are scoolgoers and 90% of them don't go on to senior club rugby. SA is fed by having hundreds upon hundreds of schools that play rugby - school rugby is an institution of note in SA - but as I say for the vast majority when they leave school that's it.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 53 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

There is a continued murmur in local circles about reciprocal bi annual tours between SA and Argentine. Whether it's full blooded test tours or development tours or a mixture - ie touring with a "test" 20 and a development 20 the cream of which will be used in tests. We actually really enjoy playing the Argies and I believe they enjoy playing us. It goes back seventy years to the Junior Bok tours to Argentine involving Isaac van Heerden.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

About 500K of those are schoolboys 90% of which will not go on to play club rugby.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Exactly. Shoo would that it was so easy to develop competitions.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

SA wealthy? Compared to which countries. The economy is in tatters unemployment is at record low numbers and you think SA has money to spend on rugby development -0 and remember the SARU was technically bankrupt and was only saved by the COVID tour of the B&I Lions. No Sa doesn't have spare cash lying round for rugby development and given the resources SARU is doing just fine.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

South African domestic rugby is in great shape. Four top tier franchises fed by a series of competitions ranging from national schools competitions through Varsity Cup to Currie Cup and then to top four franchises is a model Australia would do well to follow. SA should never have more than four top domestic teams.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

That might be the best spin off from SA's involvement north of the line.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Of course not Nick 😉

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

We have our own theories about The Sharks. Plumtree is a good coach but he has not done anywhere near the best he could with the talent and money he has at his disposal and it doesn't help to have a marquee director of rugby who has spent by far the majority of his career playing and coaching sevens.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Don't worry - you'll win again soon then you'll feel a lot better. Right now get on with your SH comps and we'll get on with being barely the best in the world.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

JW you really have no idea of how Africa works. It will take generations not decades no matter how much SA puts into it. The poverty in Africa is something that is obviously beyond your understanding. Do you think the governments of impoverished nations are going to watch happily as rugby pours massive investments into infrastructure to promote what is essentially a white western game? And SA was trying hard to develop the game in Africa until the African vote blocked our "23 bid after the independent consultants to the RFU voted unanimously for SA? The Confederation of African Rugby virtually excluded South Africa.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Nick, our association with Argentina Rugby runs very long and deep. We are exploring reciprocal two/three test tours in the future - and even more games at neutral venues such as in Europe where a lot of both teams have players anyway.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

"has SA actually EVER helped to develop another union to maturity like NZ has with Japan," yes - Argentina. You obviously don't know the history of Argentinian rugby. SA were touring there on long development tours in the 1950's

We continued the Junior Bok tours to the Argentine through to the early 70's

My coach at Grey High was Giepie Wentzel who toured Argentine as a fly half. He told me about how every Argentinian rugby club has pictures of Van Heerden and Danie Craven on prominent display. Yes we have developed a nation far more than NZ has done for Japan. And BTW Sa players were playing and coaching in Japan long before the Kiwis arrived. Fourie du Preez and many others were playing there 15 years ago.

"Isaac Van Heerden's reputation as an innovative coach had spread to Argentina, and he was invited to Buenos Aires to help the Pumas prepare for their first visit to South Africa in 1965.[1][2] Despite Argentina faring badly in this tour,[2] it was the start of a long and happy relationship between Van Heerden and the Pumas. Izak van Heerden took leave from his teaching post in Durban, relocated to Argentina, learnt fluent Spanish, and would revolutionise Argentine play in the late 1960s, laying the way open for great players such as Hugo Porta.[1][2] Van Heerden virtually invented the "tight loose" form of play, an area in which the Argentines would come to excel, and which would become a hallmark of their playing style. The Pumas repaid the initial debt, by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park, and emerged as one of the better modern rugby nations, thanks largely to the talents of this Durban schoolmaster.[1]"

After the promise made by Junior Springbok manager JF Louw at the end of a 12-game tour to Argentina in 1959 – ‘I will do everything to ensure we invite you to tour our country’ – there were concerns about the strength of Argentinian rugby. South African Rugby Board president Danie Craven sent coach Izak van Heerden to help the Pumas prepare and they repaid the favour by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Which country do you think was instrumental in developing rugby in Argentina which then spun off into the rest of Latin South America? South Africa was touring Argentine in the 50's with their Junior Bok side on three months development tours. And they didn't do it to cultivare players for the Boks. Regarding Africa you are not taking into account that South Africa itself is an emerging nation. The rugby union has prioritised the development of rugby in South African rural communities with outstanding success.

It has taken 15 years to build the participation of rugby both in playing and watching. For South Africa on its own to build a viable international rugby competition in africa will take generations - not decades. New Zealanders seem to resent the fact that SA has doubled the income of the URC since their inclusion. If New Zealand Rugby hadn't insisted on have a disproportionate slice of the pie in Super Rugby, SA might not have fled the coop.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 2 hours ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

I think this debate is avoiding the elephant in the room. Money. According to the URC chief executive Martin Anayi, the inclusion of SA teams has doubled the income of the URC. There is no doubt that the SA teams benefit from the URC but so do the other countries' teams. Perhaps it doesn't affect a club like Leinster but the less well off clubs benefit hugely from South African games' TV income. I don't think SA continued inclusion in the URC is a slam dunk. They don't hold all the cards by a long way - but they do have an ace in the hole. The Ace of Diamonds.

158 Go to comments

GrahamVF 2 hours ago

How Wallace Sititi humbly reacted to All Blacks Player of the Year honour