St. Helens' centre Tom Armstrong inks new deal with Swinton Lions: Rugby League
St. Helens centre, Tom Armstrong, has joined in with the second-tier club, Swinton Lions. The move was confirmed by sources on Thursday, October 20, after his contract with Saints was not renewed for this year.
Armstrong was part of the Saints side that was defeated by Leeds at Old Trafford in the Engage Super League Grand Final showdown. His contract with Helens did not get renewed afterwards.
The player has announced that he will be giving up Super League so that he can complete his studies at university but the prop has not completely bid farewell to the world of rugby. He will still be seen playing part-time in the second-tier competition,
Co-operative Championship, while studying.
Last year the player was on a dual contract with Leigh and Saints, where he appeared seven times as the substitute for the latter with six tries to his credit until now.
While talking about the latest uptake at Swinton, coach Steve McCormack said, "Tom could have stayed in the Super League environment but he has chosen to further his education, which says a lot about him. He still has something to prove and is excited about
playing for us - and we're excited to have him."
Swinton will start their latest season in the Championship at Leigh Sports Village. The decision about the change in venue has been mutually decided by the Rugby Football League (RFL) and the franchise itself.
However, this arrangement is temporary until the club gets permission to have a ground of their own at Agecroft.
The Lion had clinched the Co-operative Championship title at Willows last year. The club’s chairman, John Kidd, expressed his feelings for not making it for Swinton as yet. He further went on and explained that the venue shift was necessary until they could
have a place of their own.
While speaking about the move, their coach, John Kidd said, “The Sports Village is a fantastic facility and easily accessible for our fans. We made great strides playing at the Willows last season and hopefully we can continue to develop with the help of
our friends from Leigh."
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