Leicester Tigers general manager to depart club

Leicester Tigers have confirmed that general manager Leigh Jones might be departing the club in the summertime.

Jones, who joined Tigers in Could 2021, beforehand held positions with the Hong Kong Rugby Union as Nationwide Coach Improvement Manager, Head Coach, and later because the Head of Excessive Efficiency. He additionally contributed to the Japanese nationwide group’s protection and breakdown on the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Earlier than his tenure at HKRU, Jones served in teaching roles at Ebbw Vale, Newport, Newport Gwent Dragons, and the Welsh Rugby Union senior group. He notably led the Wales ‘A’ program underneath Sir Graham Henry.

As the primary General Manager at Leicester Tigers, Jones oversaw off-field efficiency elements, together with the administration of the Oval Park facility, operational processes and procedures on the coaching floor, and the institution of cultural and efficiency requirements all through the rugby program, together with the academy and senior squads.

Throughout his time on the club, the senior squad achieved the title of Gallagher Premiership Champions in his first season and reached the quarter-finals of the Heineken Champions Cup in consecutive campaigns. They fell wanting back-to-back Premiership Finals by a single recreation.

Moreover, the academy program secured a third-place end on this season’s Premiership Beneath-18 League.

Talking about his time on the club, Jones mentioned: “It has been an attention-grabbing and fulfilling two years, transitioning again to the UK from Hong Kong into, what was, a brand new format for me personally in a contest of the Premiership’s standing.”

“It’s been a pleasure and privilege to work with some nice employees, gamers and coaches at Leicester Tigers, serving to to set up what I now imagine to be a really built-in and harmonious coaching platform from which gamers and coaches can maximise potential.

“Whereas the work that you simply do goes largely un-noticed, it proves essential within the every day operating of the rugby platform in respect of each the ‘right here and now’ and likewise having a eager eye on the long run; introducing and maximising techniques, buildings and participant pathways to safeguard the way forward for the club.

“It has been an awesome thrill to work carefully with the teaching group, a lot of whom are world class operators, to advise, mentor and easily provide an opinion, when wanted.”

Leicester Tigers interim head coach Richard Wigglesworth added: “Leigh has been an awesome supply of information and expertise, in addition to an awesome mentor and buddy to me in my time on the club.”

“Firstly, whereas I used to be balancing taking part in and training after which, after I moved into the Head Coach function, much more in order an excellent advisor throughout my first time in a job of this magnitude.

“The work of a General Manager is basically behind the scenes, guaranteeing that coaches and gamers are able to doing the perfect they will due to the thankless work that goes into all that’s required and Leigh has finished that, every single day, of which can’t be spoken extremely sufficient of on my own.

“I’m so grateful for all that he has finished for me, this club and need him all the perfect in no matter comes subsequent, whoever is the fortunate organisation to have him.”