Back-row forward Brendon O'Connor has agreed new terms to extend his stay with Leicester Tigers.
The 27-year-old flanker arrived at Welford Road in the autumn of 2015, scoring a try on his debut in a European Champions Cup win over Stade Francais, and has now made 29 appearances for the club.
Tigers head coach Aaron Mauger said: “Brendon is a quality operator in the back row and he settled in well at Tigers when he arrived during last season.
“We feel that Brendon brings a high-quality continuity game to our team and suits the style of rugby we want to play due to his support lines and skills with ball in hand. He has also developed a more physical side to his game over the last six months which has been good to see.
“We believe that his best years are right in front of him so we look forward to working closely with him during this period.”
O’Connor led Hawkes Bay to victory in the 2015 ITM Cup Championship Division and was a regular in Super Rugby with the Blues in Auckland before joining Tigers.
He said: “My debut against Stade in the European Cup was a real highlight of my first season at Leicester and it really showed me what rugby here is all about. With the crowd and the atmosphere at Welford Road, it was great.
“I was keen to stay, we’ve got a good group of guys in the squad and I’m excited by what this group can do.”
The 27-year-old flanker arrived at Welford Road in the autumn of 2015, scoring a try on his debut in a European Champions Cup win over Stade Francais, and has now made 29 appearances for the club.
Tigers head coach Aaron Mauger said: “Brendon is a quality operator in the back row and he settled in well at Tigers when he arrived during last season.
“We feel that Brendon brings a high-quality continuity game to our team and suits the style of rugby we want to play due to his support lines and skills with ball in hand. He has also developed a more physical side to his game over the last six months which has been good to see.
“We believe that his best years are right in front of him so we look forward to working closely with him during this period.”
O’Connor led Hawkes Bay to victory in the 2015 ITM Cup Championship Division and was a regular in Super Rugby with the Blues in Auckland before joining Tigers.
He said: “My debut against Stade in the European Cup was a real highlight of my first season at Leicester and it really showed me what rugby here is all about. With the crowd and the atmosphere at Welford Road, it was great.
“I was keen to stay, we’ve got a good group of guys in the squad and I’m excited by what this group can do.”
