Dynaboars move for Chessum in Tigers partnership

Lewis Chessum is a former England Under-20 international

Leicester Tigers lock Lewis Chessum has signed a new deal with the Premiership club and been sent out on loan to Japanese top-flight side Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars.

The 21-year-old's switch is part of the East Midlands side's new "performance partnership" with the Asian club.

Tigers say Chessum - the younger brother of Tigers' England international Ollie Chessum - is said to be "pioneering the agreement".

Lewis Chessum has featured 12 times for Tigers since first first emerging from the club's academy in 2022 and has spent time playing in the Championship for Nottingham, another outfit Leicester has a partnership with.

Tigers chief executive Andrea Pinchen says their link with Dynaboars is a "proud moment" for the the 11-time Premiership winners.

"Lewis is a great representative of our club and our academy system and has made great strides in his development in recent years, which this experience will only add to while he is in Japan," Pinchen told the Tigers website.

At Dynaboars, Chessum will play under former London Irish and Scarlets coach Glenn Delaney.

The New Zealander previously had a close relationship with Tigers, having been director of rugby at Nottingham, where he took a number of players on loan, including Tom Youngs, who went on to play for England and captain Leicester.

The link the Japanese club now has with Leicester will see loan opportunities made available for players across the two sides, who will also share coaching expertise at all levels.

They will also swap knowledge in the fields of recruitment, player welfare, analysis, and medical, as well as strength and conditioning.