THE Cornish All Blacks have bolstered their squad for the new season with the re-signing of forward Leion Cole.

Cole, 21, joins from Cornwall and Devon League outfit Tavistock where he’s played for the last couple of seasons, and should provide plenty of competition.

Leion was part of the CABs squad that took on Redruth in the recent friendlies between the two, where he made a favourable impression on joint head coach Ian Goldsmith.

Goldsmith told the Post: “Leion is our third signing of the summer and it’s great to have him back at the club.

“He’s recently been playing for Tavistock, but played all his age group rugby at Polson, where he helped the Colts successfully win the league back in 2017.

“Leion is an abrasive back-rower, who has a great attitude and is not afraid to mix it up. He has good carrying abilities, a super pair of hands, is a good lineout exponent and happy to do the unseen ‘dog’ work that all his team-mates appreciate.

Sponge

“He is a great sponge and so willing to learn and get better, which makes him a dream to coach. He’s already made an impact with his abrasiveness in the two recent Redruth games and we look forward to him continuing that over many seasons.”

Cole told the Post: “The move came about really from the ‘Pitch Up and Play’ sessions held at the club recently. I went along to those to have a bit of fun and Ian asked whether I’d be interested in coming back.

“I went along to the training on the Tuesday before the first game and then he got me involved against Redruth, which was a nice surprise.

“He and a couple of the other players such as Fred Bulut kept asking about coming back full-time, so I gave myself a couple of weeks to think about it, and thought ‘why not’ as I’m still young enough to improve and play at a really good standard.

“I’d like to establish myself in the first team every week and go from there. I see myself as a fairly solid ball-carrier and a confident tackler.”

At Tavistock, Cole played in the second row, but hopes to nail down a spot towards the back of the scrum.

He said: “I’ve always seen myself as a back rower but I played in the second row at Tavistock and for a season in the Colts. But Ian sees me more in the back row and that’s where I’d like to play.

“I’m just really looking forward to getting back to rugby. It’s been nearly 18 months without any decent rugby for me as I was injured before COVID, so I’m just buzzing to get into pre-season training this week!”