Ayerza will stay at Leicester
Argentine Marcos Ayerza has signed a deal that will keep him at the Leicester Tigers beyond the 2011 World Cup.
Rumours have been circulating around rugby circles all summer long that Ayerza may have been on his way from the Premiership champions. However, a deal has been sorted out and both parties can now look forward to the new season.
Ayerza is the best prop player that Leicester have at the club and they have saved themselves a lot of hard work by getting a deal done. Ayerza has admitted that there is no other place that he would rather be playing his rugby.
The prop has a high number of skills that make him one of the most important players to the team. Considering the exit of Lewis Moody, the departure of another high profile player could have had a dramatic impact on the team.
High number of skills
Ayerza is one of the few players in the Leicester team who can really command a specific area of the pitch. He is big, strong and fast and this allows him to control the tempo of rugby in the area of the field that he plays.
He has been at the club for the last five years and has played 65 times during that period. This does not make him the most experienced player at Leicester but shows he knows how the club works and how the team is run.
He only has 29 caps for Argentina and this is a number that he will want to increase. His chances of doing this would have been reduced had he left Leicester. He has never been afraid to raise his game and show some ambition to the rest of the side and this is something that will rub off on other players.
Ayerza said: "I am entering my fifth season with Leicester Tigers and this is a great place to play your club rugby. We have an excellent group of players, there is a great spirit here and I hope we can start the new season well and I'm looking forward to it."
Dodged a bullet
Leicester have dodged a bullet because had they allowed Ayerza to leave and not fought for him to stay then it could have had a big impact on the rest of the side.
Premiership champions need to keep all of their best players and this was emphasised even more when Lewis Moody left the club to join Bath. Ayerza can now be given more faith, more responsibility and a bigger role to play now that he has signed on.
He is at the peak of his playing years being 27-years-old and he will never be in a better position to offer help and advice to the younger members of the team. Had he left then this is something that could have later impacted on the playing performance of individual players.
Boss Richard Cockerill said: "Marcos has developed with every season. He is a top-class operator and is among our senior core of players."
Betting advice
If you had any doubts about Leicester's ability to retain the title in the coming season then this news would have calmed those worries. Back Leicester with confidence because they have the perfect blend of experience and youth in all areas of the side.
Don't back Ayerza as a player because he won't get forward a lot playing as a prop. A much better person to back would be Toby Flood who plays in a more aggressive position and kicks a lot of points for Leicester. Back him to be top scorer this year.
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