Leicester Tigers have confirmed the signing of out-half Johnny McPhillips from Ulster.
He was likely to be third choice at Kingspan Stadium next term, with Billy Burns and new arrival from Munster Bill Johnston set to be ahead of him in the queue for the no.10 jersey. McPhillips was restricted to just 24-appearances over the past two seasons with Ulster.
Born in Newcastle and a product of the Falcons' youth system, the 22-year old moved to Ulster in 2016. McPhillips was part of the Ireland side that reached the 2016 World Rugby U20 Championship final in England. Prior to that, he had been capped by England at Under-18 level.
McPhillips will provide competition and cover for George Ford, who is likely to miss the first part of the season due to his involvement with England at the World Cup in Japan. On joining the Tigers, McPhillips told the club's site, "I’m incredibly excited to be joining such a prestigious club like Leicester Tigers. To be able to play at Welford Road and challenge myself in a new environment full of established and exciting young players is something I’m really looking forward to.
“I can’t wait to get started and look forward to developing my game under Geordan Murphy and the coaching team next season.”
He's a player that Leicester head coach Geordan Murphy is looking forward to as well, "Johnny was very well regarded as a young player in the Irish system and he has gained some good experience of senior rugby with Ulster.
“He has the ability to play at fly-half, centre and full-back, which adds to our options along the backline. He is a very bright young player, he is keen to make progress in the game and we’ll be delighted to welcome him on board this summer."
Leicester finished second-from-bottom in the Gallagher Premiership last season.
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