Leicester Tigers prop Dan Cole says he is happy to keep battling for a starting spot with fierce rival Martin Castrogiovanni after agreeing terms on a contract extension at the club.

The 24-year-old may well be England's first-choice tight-head prop but that does not guarantee him a start at Leicester where his Italian team-mate has always provided strong competition since Cole made his debut for the club four years ago.

The Leicester-born front-rower will put pen to paper on a new three-year deal when the legal technicalities of his extension have been ironed out.

That is great news for both the club and its supporters, and Cole said the pull of the competition with Castro, below, and the chance to chase more trophies with "his mates" at his home-town club made the decision to put pen to paper a relatively easy one.

"I am from Leicester," he said. "I live across the road from the training ground in Oadby and I was born across the road from Welford Road. I am very happy here.

"I play with my mates like Toby Flood and Tom and Ben Youngs, Tom Croft and Boris Stankovich and we have a good squad.

"They are all good guys and it is a good squad to be around.

"There are good coaches here, too. The whole package is important. Some days you have a bad day's training and think everything is rubbish then, the next day, you do well and it is not so bad.

"You take the whole package and I think we are a club that has won stuff in the past and can win stuff again. Why wouldn't I want to stay here?

"I want to play every game but, at the same time, I have not played every game and we are doing all right as a club.

"Personally, it is also going all right. Myself and Castro both want to play every game, especially when the team is playing well. You want to play with your mates.

"Floody, for instance, has played every minute since he came back from the World Cup and the other guys are right up there as well.

"But you have to have trust in your coaches and, if we are both fresh at the end of the year, playing well and we are in contention for trophies as a club, it's best to have two props 100 per cent fit.

"It no doubt also helps the club that Cockers can bring Castro or myself into a game after 50 or 60 minutes."

Cole, who already has 23 England caps at the age of 24, admits that he still gets frustrated at being left on the bench but has learned to take a long-term view of his career, instead of getting angry.

"Me and Castro go hard at each other in training. We push each other and work hard to put ourselves in the best position to be selected," he said.

"That raises the standard but we have to trust Cockers' decision.

"There is no point in getting frustrated if you are not playing because it doesn't do you any good.

"I could throw a strop and refuse to speak to him for three weeks but what is the point?

"I have just got to move on and, if I get a chance to play, play hard."