Leicester Tigers have named England prop Ellis Genge as their new captain ahead of the 2021-22 season.
The 26-year-old takes over the role from fellow front-rower Tom Youngs, with Hanro Liebenberg as vice-captain.
Genge has made 89 appearances for the Tigers since joining them from Bristol in 2016, scoring nine tries.
“His ability to connect and bring people together is a very powerful strength of his,” head coach Steve Borthwick told BBC Radio Leicester.
“He connects with international players, overseas players, (players from) different backgrounds, young players, old players.
“He wants to improve as a rugby player and is very serious about being a really impactful leader. With that in mind, this is a really positive step.”
Leicester finished sixth in the Premiership last season and start the new campaign with a home game against Exeter Chiefs on Saturday, 18 September.
Youngs first captained the side during the 2014-15 season and Borthwick said he had been an “exceptional leader”.
The 34-year-old revealed to the rest of the players that Genge would be taking over from him at a Tigers squad meeting.
“That’s how it was done, in a presentation, that it was (being) passed on to Ellis, and Hanro,” said Borthwick.
“I’ve had several conversations with Tom, to see how he was feeling about things, and I considered the best options to be club captain – and we had several options – and decided on Ellis going forward.”
