Leicester move to secure Chessum on new deal as Quins raid Championship for cup reinforcements

Leicester Tigers are working to tie England lock Ollie Chessum to a new long-term contract after he entered the final year of his deal at Welford Road at the start of July.

Club captain Chessum is highly regarded by Tigers head coach Geoff Parling, and his rising profile since signing his previous contract in December 2024 is expected to attract serious interest from Gallagher Premiership rivals. Leicester will be anxious to avoid a repeat of losing George Martin, the England international who departed for Saracens when his Welford Road contract expired at the end of last season.

At Newcastle Red Bulls, head coach Dan McFarland has revealed that the presence of Gregor Townsend was a decisive factor in his decision to join the club. Townsend holds a part-time role as a strategic advisor at the Austrian-owned club, and the pair previously worked together at Glasgow Warriors and with the Scotland national side. “Him being here and consulting and being able to help in terms of guidance was a major attraction for me in joining the club. I really respect Gregor’s way of playing the game. It’s very important to me that I chat to him on a regular basis,” McFarland said.

Former All Blacks and Samoa tighthead Jeffery Toomaga-Allen came close to joining Bordeaux-Bègles on an injury-joker basis but pulled out of advanced talks at the last minute for personal reasons. The 35-year-old, who spent the last three seasons with the Queensland Reds, had previously represented Wasps and Ulster during his career in the northern hemisphere.

Harlequins head coach Jason Gilmore has moved quickly to bolster his squad for the PREM Rugby Cup, signing flanker Jake Spurway and tighthead Osman Dimen from Championship side London Scottish. Former Scotland under-20 international Spurway is set to start at blindside against Northampton Saints at the Stoop, with Dimen — who has experience in the French third tier with Bourgoin-Jallieu and Chambéry — named on the bench. Gilmore also drafted in British Army tighthead Sitiveni Vasuturaga, who will make his first start in the same fixture.

In France, La Rochelle are targeting Pau winger Grégoire Arfeuil as a potential replacement for Jack Nowell, who is out of contract at the end of the season. The 21-year-old, who scored 11 tries in 20 appearances for Pau and has represented France at under-20 and A level, is in the final year of his deal after talks over a renewal broke down. La Rochelle face competition from Racing 92, Stade Français, and Montpellier for his signature.