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Leicester Tigers have confirmed six new signings for the 2026/27 season, unveiling a recruitment class that blends Lions-level international experience with promising young English talent — and sends a clear message about the club’s ambitions under head coach Geoff Parling.
Tigers Land a British and Irish Lion as the Headline Act
The marquee arrival is Mako Vunipola, the loosehead prop who spent the best part of a decade as one of England’s most decorated front-row forwards. Born in New Zealand to Tongan parents and raised in Wales before settling in England, Vunipola made his England debut in 2012 and went on to earn 79 international caps. He toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2013, 2017 and 2021 — winning nine Lions caps in total — and was part of the Saracens side that won four Premiership titles and three European Champions Cups. He joins from French club Vannes, where he has been playing in the Pro D2.
At 35, Vunipola is in the latter stages of his career, but his scrummaging know-how and experience of winning in high-pressure matches is precisely the kind of quality that cannot be manufactured. For a club with Leicester’s history, bringing in a player of his stature sends a signal to the rest of the Premiership. If you are interested in what else is happening across Leicester this summer, there is plenty going on beyond Welford Road too.
A Welsh International and a Battle-Hardened Argentine Join the Forward Pack
Alongside Vunipola in the forwards, Tigers have signed Aaron Wainwright from the Dragons, the Welsh back-row forward who has become one of the more reliable presences in the Six Nations over recent years. Born in Cardiff in 1997, Wainwright made his Wales debut in 2018 and has gone on to earn more than 50 caps, representing his country at two Rugby World Cups. He scored a crucial try in Wales’ 2019 World Cup quarter-final victory over France — a match that ended 20-19 — and has been a fixture across the back row, covering number eight and blindside flanker. He brings athleticism, an enormous engine and genuine international class to Welford Road.
Elliott Stooke adds further experience in the second row. The 6ft 6in lock, born in 1993, began his career at Gloucester before a long and productive spell at Bath, where he was a lineout specialist and physical presence in tight exchanges. He also holds England caps, and his time in Japan with Red Hurricanes Osaka rounded out a varied international career. Stooke is exactly the type of experienced operator who can hold a set piece together on a wet Tuesday night in February.
Completing the forward additions is Joel Sclavi, a tighthead prop who arrives from La Rochelle with significant European pedigree. Born in Buenos Aires in 1994, Sclavi is a regular member of the Argentina squad and has Champions Cup experience from his time in France, having previously played for Stade Français. His scrummaging strength is well-regarded at the highest level, and a tighthead of his quality was arguably the one position Leicester most needed to address in this window.
Youth and Promise Round Out the Recruitment Class
Not all of the signings are established internationals. Jack Doorey-Palmer joins from Harlequins as a developing hooker from the Quins academy pathway. Known for his mobility and accuracy at the lineout, he is very much a long-term investment — a player Leicester intend to develop within their system and give regular game time, with an eye on what he can become rather than what he is right now.
The final addition is Joe Jenkins, a 22-year-old centre from Bristol Bears who came through the Bristol academy and has been part of England’s age-grade setup. Jenkins offers pace and physicality in midfield, and his arrival reflects Leicester’s clear strategy of identifying emerging English talent early and bringing them into an environment where they can develop alongside players of Wainwright and Vunipola’s calibre.
What This Signings Window Really Says About Leicester’s Direction
Let us be honest about what this recruitment class represents. Six signings, covering loosehead and tighthead prop, lock, back row, hooker and centre — that is not tinkering around the edges, that is reshaping the spine of a squad. When a club brings in a British and Irish Lion, a Welsh international with 50-plus caps and an Argentine World Cup prop in the same window, it is making a statement of intent.
Tigers finished the 2024/25 season without silverware, and this summer’s business looks like a direct response to that. Geoff Parling knows better than most what a winning Premiership team looks like — he was part of the Leicester squad that dominated English rugby for the better part of a decade before moving into coaching. The blend he has assembled here is interesting: proven leaders and winners at the top end in Vunipola, Stooke and Sclavi, genuine international quality in Wainwright, and two younger players in Doorey-Palmer and Jenkins who give the squad a future as well as a present.
The departures are also worth noting. George Martin has headed to Saracens, Nicky Smith to Sale Sharks, and Hanro Liebenberg to the Bulls in South Africa. Losing Martin in particular will sting — he is one of the most naturally gifted English back-row forwards of his generation. But the arrivals of Wainwright and Vunipola suggest the club is not standing still. They are replacing one type of player with a different type of player, and betting that the sum of what they have assembled will be greater than the individual parts that have left.
For the Leicester faithful, this should be an exciting summer. Welford Road has not always been the most welcoming ground for opposition teams, and with this pack taking shape, it is difficult to imagine it being easy to play against Tigers next season. Whether Parling can turn this talent into trophies is the question that really matters — but on the evidence of this recruitment window, he has given himself every chance. We will be keeping a close eye on how this squad develops ahead of the new season, and we will make sure you know what happens next.
Have Your Say
Are you a Leicester Tigers supporter? Which of the six new signings excites you most ahead of the 2026/27 campaign? Let us know in the comments below — your views matter to this community. And if you want to stay across all the sport and local news from across Leicestershire, sign up for our free updates and never miss a story.
