Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
USA prop Chris Baumann has joined the Leicester Tigers. The 20-time capped Eagle joins the Aviva Premiership club ahead of the upcoming 2017-2018 season.
Born in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Baumann has extensive experience playing across the USA. He made his debut for the USA in the 2015 Pacific Nations Cup against Tonga. From there he went on to be selected for Rugby World Cup 2015, playing three matches.
Following the World Cup Baumann went on to play in the Americas Rugby Championship and subsequently in professional rugby. This saw him firstly playing PRO Rugby for the Denver Stampede and secondly in New Zealand’s Mitre 10 Cup for the Wellington Lions.
The 30-year-old now joins English powerhouses the Leicester Tigers. The move sees the tradition continuing of Leicester being home to players from the Americas. Earlier this year Marcos Ayerza was forced into retirement.
While Ayerza was a loosehead prop Baumann plays tighthead. He joins an impressive roster of props at the Tigers including Dan Cole, Ellis Genge, Michele Rizzo, Logovi’i Mulipola, Greg Bateman, and Pat Cilliers.
Fellow USA Eagles front-rowers Titi Lamositele and Joe Taufete’e also play in the Aviva Premiership. As such the starting lineup for the USA against England at Rugby World Cup 2019 could well be entirely made up of players based in the Premiership this coming season.
