Leicester Tigers sign Joe Powell, Matt Rogerson, Kieran Wilkinson and Mike Williams
- Published
Joe Powell, Matt Rogerson and Mike Williams will add experience to the Tigers squad
Leicester Tigers have signed scrum-half Joe Powell, back row Matt Rogerson and fly-half Kieran Wilkinson and re-signed lock Mike Williams.
Powell, 29, and Rogerson, 30, move to Welford Road from London Irish, who filed for administration last month.
Wilkinson, 23, joins the Tigers from Sale, having made 22 appearances for the Sharks since his 2018 debut.
Williams, 31, played more than 80 games in four seasons with Leicester before moving on to Bath in 2019.
Leicester have now brought in 11 new faces since losing to Sale in last season's play-offs.
Powell, who won four caps for Australia in 2017, joined London Irish last summer from Melbourne Rebels.
"It's no secret we are likely to be without Jack [van Poortvliet] and Ben [Youngs] during the World Cup, so we are certainly in need of depth at scrum-half and I am pleased we have been able to add that with the quality of Joe," said Tigers head coach Dan McKellar.
Rogerson was Exiles club captain for the past two seasons, and played more than 100 games for the club after joining them from Jersey Reds in 2018.
"He is a tried and tested player in the Premiership and adds important depth and competition to our back row ranks," said McKellar.
"You don't play a century of games in this league without a certain level of toughness and commitment, as well as plenty of talent, and Matt has shown that over a number of years now."
Wilkinson will add further depth at fly-half alongside Handré Pollard and Charlie Atkinson.
And McKellar said he was certain supporters would be delighted to see Williams - who can also play across the back row - back in the Tigers squad.
"He is a physical player with a combative approach to the game and enjoys the tough stuff - all the attributes we want in our forwards at this club," he added.
"He understands what it means to be able to represent Leicester Tigers, our role in the community and is as passionate as ever about being a part of that again."