91Èȱ¬

England duo Dan Cole and Tom Youngs have joined fellow international front-rower Marcos Ayerza in agreeing new deals with Premiership side Leicester.

The Tigers have not revealed the length of the contracts for prop Cole and hooker Youngs, both 27, or prop Ayerza, 31, but describe them as "long-term".

Director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: "It is great news.

"They are genuine world-class players in key positions and are important parts of the senior core to the squad."

Youngs made his Tigers debut as a centre in 2006 but switched to hooker and has become a regular part of the international set-up.

Cole, who like Youngs was part of the British & Irish Lions squad that toured Australia in 2013, has recently returned to action after a neck injury and is likely to be part of the England squad for the Six Nations in 2015.

Argentine international Ayerza has played nearly 200 games for Leicester since joining in 2006.

Cockerill added: "We have a good crop of front-rowers who work well together and they help to get the best out of each other.

"Marcos, Tom and Dan, with their attitude to training and playing, and their experience at the top levels of the game, play a massive role in that."