Sam Harrison to make Leicester Tigers exit in 2020

Former England Under 20 international Sam Harrison has confirmed that he will part ways with Gallagher Premiership club Leicester Tigers in 2020.

The 29-year-old, who is a product of Leicester Academy made his senior debut with the club in 2008 at the age of 18 and has racked up 172 appearances including 120 Premiership games since then.

“It’s a very strange feeling, Leicester Tigers has been my home for almost 15 years,” said Harrison to the official website of the club.

“You could call it a job or a profession, but it has been more than that for me and I’ve been so lucky to be able to do it for my hometown club.”

The 5ft 9in scrum-half enjoyed Premiership A-League title win with the Tigers in 2010/11 season and came from the bench in their Premiership final win over Northampton Saints in 2012/13 season.

He will now head to Australia to pursue a career outside professional rugby.

“I won’t accept that I am old just yet, I’ll only confess to being older,” he said through the wry smile he has carried with him since arriving as a teenager," he added.

“I arrived in the academy as a 15-year-old, thinking I knew everything about the world, even though I’d never really been out of Hinckley.

“I am leaving as a 29-year-old father of three, who still knows very little, and I’ve still never really been out of Hinckley apart from the odd trip to Treviso or Ulster.

“But being at Tigers has taught me the values of discipline, respect and hard work, which has made me the man I am today.

“Above all, I leave a much better person for having had my time at Tigers and with some unbelievable memories, great stories and amazing friendships that I will be forever grateful for.”