Former Tigers man, Tommy Bell is one of the eleven new signings London Irish secured ahead of the 2016/17 season. LITV caught up with Bell (23) to discuss why he chose London Irish, his expectations for the upcoming season and the competition in the backline.

“I think a big factor in joining the club was the young players coming through and the progress we can make in the next couple of years.

“The structure here is outstanding with the training ground, the Academy and the new coaching set up. We’ve got a good balance at the minute with experienced players and younger players; it is exciting times.

“We’ve done a lot of hard work in the pre-season and now it’s putting all the finishing touches together and executing the game plan,” said Bell, as their first pre-season friendly gets underway in a matter of days when The Exiles take the short trip to The Twickenham Stoop on Saturday (13th August, kick-off 3.00pm).

The versatile player, who can play at full-back or fly-half, realises the strength of the London Irish backline and understands that the competition to make the starting XV will be tough: “We’ve got some real strength in the squad and it’s going to be tough to get a starting spot but I’ve just got to focus on my own game and on a few weaknesses I see in myself and hopefully that will be good enough to put myself on the team sheet.”

The countdown is on as the 2016/17 Greene King IPA Championship is right around the corner – click here or call our ticket hotline on 0118 968 1016 to secure your place at every home game alongside a multitude of benefits with a London Irish Membership.

Click here to watch the full LITV interview.

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