Joe Ford and Jonah Holmes sign for Leicester Tigers

Leicester Tigers have signed Yorkshire Carnegie duo Joe Ford and Jonah Holmes, top points-scorer and top try-scorer during the regular season in Championship rugby during 2016/17.

Fly-half Ford, 26, will team up with his brother George at Tigers this summer, while Holmes returns to Premiership rugby after starting his professional career at Wasps.

 
Ford has previous Premiership experience with Sale Sharks and Northampton Saints, and says his spell at Carnegie has proved invaluable in terms of experience. He ended the Championship regular programme as the competition's leading points scorer this season and totalled 223 points across the whole campaign as Carnegie reached the Championship Final against London Irish.
 
"My three years at Sale Sharks were really good but I was at an age where I needed to play more rugby and I was ready to have that experience of playing week in, week out at Leeds,” said Ford.
 

 
The 24-year-old Holmes began his professional career at London Wasps and played Premiership rugby on loan for London Welsh before moving to Yorkshire. He has experience at scrum-half and full-back as well as on the wing where he has been a prolific try-scorer, scoring 15 tries in 22 Championship games this season and 51 in 87 appearances during his time at Carnegie.
 
Holmes said: "This is an exciting move for me and it's going to be a big challenge, but I'm really looking forward to it.