The former England captain retired from international rugby in January

Former England captain Martin Corry has signed a one-year contract extension which will keep him at Leicester until the end of the 2009 season.

The 34-year-old is the Tigers' current captain and next season will be his 12th season at the Welford Road club.

"At the moment, I'm not ready to turn my back on rugby," said Corry, who retired from internationals in January.

"It's going to be a hell of a fight to get in the side next year, but I still enjoy a challenge."

He follows fellow first-team squad members George Chuter, Martin Castrogiovanni, Jordan Crane, Marcos Ayerza, Johne Murphy, Ben Pienaar and Brett Deacon in committing his future to the club.

He's one of the great team captains Tigers coach Marcelo Loffreda

"I'm 100% focused on doing the right thing for Leicester," said Corry, who joined the Tigers from Bristol in 1997.

"We've got a lot of young guys coming through and that's really exciting. I still feel I've got something to offer on the field, but if I can help bring on the young guys as well, then that would be brilliant.

"I care so much about the club and I want to be challenging in every competition we compete in. I've every confidence that we can do that, and that's one of the reasons I've agreed to stay."

Tigers head coach Marcelo Loffreda is delighted Corry has signed up for another year.

"He's one of the great team captains," said former Argentina coach Loffreda.

"He's not only committed on the pitch, he's completely committed to the club off it as well. He's an example to all the young players and we're really happy to have him with us for another year."