Leicester Tigers cut five players a month before PWR season opener

Leicester Tigers have released five players with immediate effect, confirming the departures of wing Freya Greensmith, Lauren Poole, Jordan Russell, Summer Reeves and Phoebe Andrews less than a month before the 2026/27 Premiership Women’s Rugby season begins.

Greensmith’s exit is particularly notable given she only joined the club in June, making her stay one of the shortest in the squad’s recent history. The five players leave as Leicester continue a significant overhaul following a last-place finish in the previous PWR campaign.

Director of Women’s Rugby Fraser Goatcher paid tribute to the departing players in a club statement. “Leicester Tigers Women would like to thank all departing players for their commitment, hard work, and contributions to the programme,” he said. “Your efforts on and off the pitch have been greatly valued, and you will always be part of the Tigers family. We wish you all the very best in the next chapter of your rugby journeys.”

The releases form part of a broader rebuild at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. The club announced an enhanced growth strategy and additional funding for its women’s team during the previous campaign, with the aim of closing the gap on the league’s leading sides.

That investment has driven changes to the coaching structure. Two-time Women’s Six Nations winner Gill Bourke has joined Goatcher’s staff as lead forwards coach, while Ben Duke takes on the lead backs and assistant attack role. Ben Slessor will oversee defence and lead the Under-23s programme, and former Nottingham Rugby lock George Cox has been brought in as contact skills coach.

On the recruitment front, Leicester have added several Wallaroos to their squad, headlined by 2025 Wallaroos Player of the Year Tabua Tuinakauvadra. Earlier this week the club also confirmed the signing of USA-qualified prop Caoimhe O’Sullivan Roche, who arrives after two seasons with the New York Exiles in Women’s Elite Rugby.

Leicester’s preparations for the new season have been tested in the PWR Next Gen Cup, where they suffered defeats against Saracens, Exeter Chiefs, Sale Sharks and Loughborough Lightning. The senior side opens its Premiership Women’s Rugby campaign on Sunday, 22 November, away to reigning champions Saracens at StoneX Stadium.