17 May 2005
Leicester Tigers have signed Scotland Under-21 second row Ian Nimmo. Nineteen-year-old Nimmo - who is in the Scottish squad for the International Rugby Board (IRB) U21 World Cup, in Argentina in June - will report for Tigers duty in early July.

"He's an ambitious young man with plenty of all-round abilities on the field," said Richard Cockerill, who will take over as Tigers' first-team forwards coach next season. "He's tall and athletic and he has a lot of ability around the field. He fills the void created by the departure of Tom Ryder to Saracens and we're expecting great things from him.

"Having Ian in the squad also gives us a nice progression in the second row. Ben Kay is 29, Louis Deacon is 24, James Hamilton is 22, Ian fits in nicely in the next tier in terms of age and his signing creates much-needed depth in our tight five resources."

Nimmo, in turn, told www.leicestertigers.com: "It's just awesome. I'm actually speechless at the prospect of joining a club like Tigers. I've had a look around, it's a wonderful set-up and I'm especially excited about the great lunches we get at the training ground every day!"

Whilst he would just have completed a gruelling U21 World Cup campaign at the time pre-season training begins, the talented second row, who stands just over two metres tall, is looking forward to getting stuck in at his new club.

"I might be a bit tired after the World Cup, but I want to make a good impression during pre-season training and prove that I deserve to be here," he said.

Nimmo has played at senior level for Heriots over the past two seasons, but he sees his move to Leicester - where he will join up with a fellow Scot, prop Dave Young - as a step up in his promising career.

"Dave and I have known each other since the age of 16; we've played a lot of rugby together and he's had great things to say about the club," said Ian. "I met some of the Tigers guys when we played in the U21 Six Nations, but unfortunately I wasn't able to meet Matt Hampson, who was injured before our game.

"I hope to develop, as a player and a person at Tigers, and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Richard Cockerill and Neil Back on the training ground can only be good for me. It might be daunting, but it can only improve the standard of my game."

Ian has played for Scotland at Under-18, Under-19, and Under-21 levels. His U19 honours include the 2004 IRB World Cup in Durban, South Africa. His U21 international debut followed when Scotland lost narrowly to France in February and he was an ever-present in the No.4 shirt in this season's U21 Six Nations. Ian also helped Heriots to second place in the SRU BT Premiership Division One this season.

Ian Nimmo biography:

Born: July 25, 1985
Height: 6'7" (2.01m)
Weight: 18st 12b (120kg)
Representative honours: Scotland Under-18A, Under-18, Under-19, Under-21
Previous clubs: Heriots