Aviva Premiership
Leicester battle to keep Goneva
ESPN Staff
March 7, 2014
Leicester's Niki Goneva battles past the London Irish defence © Getty Images
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Leicester Tigers are still hopeful of fending off French interest in Niki Goneva to keep the try-scoring Fijian at the club next season.

Goneva has scored 10 tries in the current Aviva Premiership campaign, form that has attracted an offer from Castres for next year. But Leicester coach Richard Cockerill thinks there is still a chance Goneva could stay at Welford Road.

Cockerill told the Leicester Mercury: "Niki has had an offer from Castres and that is for him to decide what he wants to do. It has not been the easiest thing to deal with at times but it may resolve itself.

"We are very keen to keep him, and Niki could stay."

If Goneva's contract was not enough of a headache for Cockerill, question marks still hover over the future of other Leicester stars. Centre Dan Bowden and flanker Pablo Matera could leave the Tigers this summer.

Cockerill is "waiting for Bowden to tell the club what he wants to do" after contract negotiations with the player. However, the future of Matera looks to be more complex, with a return to his home country of Argentina a possibility.

Cockerill said: "Pablo is a young man and there is an Argentine Super 15 franchise being created in a year or so, so it's down to what he wants to do long-term."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

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