British & Irish Lion Tom Youngs has paid tribute to the retiring George Chuter for making him the hooker that he is today.
Youngs appeared in all three Tests Down Under last summer against Australia, a remarkable rise for a man who only made the switch to the front row five years ago.
A big help in making that switch from centre to hooker was Chuter, 24 times capped by England, and a Leicester Tigers legend.
And after the 37-year-old Chuter announced this week he is hanging up his boots with immediate effect, his Welford Road teammate Youngs was quick to thank him for his contributions.
"George helped me out the whole time, encouraged me and was fantastic," he said.
"He's been a huge influence on my step up to hooker and he's an absolute legend of the game.
"I could always turn to him if things weren't going well in training with my throwing.
"He just gave me little pointers and was absolutely superb. He's always gone out of his way to help me and that shows what kind of guy he is."
