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Gallagher-Prime Minister
Leicester The Tigers are closing in on another boost ahead of the season, with England Scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet is closing in on a new deal.
Norfolk-born Van Poortvliet, 25, joined the Tigers’ academy at the age of 12 and is in advanced talks with the club about putting pen to paper on a new long-term deal.
The Tigers, who missed out on a Gallagher PREM final appearance last season after losing the semi-finals to their big rivals Northampton Saints, start a new campaign against Saracens on Welford Road on Sunday afternoon.
Van Poortvliet, whose current contract expires in the summer, told RugbyPass last month about the pain of watching Saints celebrate winning the title and said he believed the Tigers had the squad to see them through to the end of the season.
“If you see someone lift the PREM, especially a team that beats you in the semi-finals, it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. But we want to win it for ourselves, not just stop someone else.”
“We’ve got a real winning mentality in this team and we fell short last time. But now it’s about delivery, and when I look around the dressing room, I’m convinced we’ve got a winning team.”
“You always feel hurt when you lose a semi-final. I’ve lost two of them and a final in my career. But we also know how good it feels to win it and we’re going to chase that feeling,” he said.
It will be another significant boost for the Tigers, who last week secured fly-half Billy Searle on a new long-term deal and are trying to lock down England and Lions loose forward Ollie Chessum.
Chessum had a 90-minute meeting with Tigers chief executive Andre Pinchen last week, and although his CV has been circulating in France, confidence is growing that a deal will be struck, especially with the World Cup a year away.
The Tigers will then look to speak to Joaquin Mora and Ollie Hassell-Collins to sort out their futures as they enter the final year of their deals.