England trio agree new Leicester deals

(GETTY IMAGES)

The England trio of centre Dan Hipkiss, lock Louis Deacon and number eight Jordan Crane have all agreed new contracts with Guinness Premiership champions Leicester.

And the Tigers have also announced new deals for England prop prospect Dan Cole, plus scrum-half Ben Youngs, centre Matt Smith and flanker Ben Woods.

Cole has been training with the senior England squad ahead of their RBS 6 Nations campaign, while Youngs started for England Saxons in yesterday's 17-13 victory over Ireland A.

"The culture of this club is always that we want a strong core of English players and players who have come through the ranks here," said Leicester head coach Richard Cockerill.

"The likes of Louis Deacon and Dan Hipkiss have come all the way through from the academy to the senior team and to England international status, and Ben Youngs and Dan Cole are following in their footsteps.

"These guys all understand the culture of the club, and they have a role too as an example and inspiration to all of our young players."