Hanro Liebenberg: Leicester Tigers back row to leave Welford Road

Back row Hanro Liebenberg will leave Leicester Tigers at the end of the season to rejoin the South African side the Bulls.

The 30-year-old was a member of Leicester’s Premier League title-winning side in 2022 and played 141 times for the club, scoring 31 tries.

Head coach Jeff Barling said discussions had been ongoing for several months but Liebenberg chose to leave for family reasons.

“We would have liked him to stay – I think he would have liked to stay from a rugby point of view,” Barling told BBC Radio Leicester.

“We knew we signed Aaron Wainwright with that in mind, another quality guy would come in, but he (Liebenberg) is a big influence on the group and we hope to end his time at Tigers on a high note.”

Leicester City host at home to Bath in the Prem Rugby Cup semi-final on Sunday and are currently in the league play-off places, having won seven of their 10 matches so far.

“This decision was one of the hardest decisions of my career,” said Liebenberg, who first signed for Leicester City ahead of the 2019 season. “I love this place and everyone has given me so much.”

“The club and the titles here are special, but what I will always remember are the people and the fans. They always supported me, always supported my family and always cared for me.”

“What you want to do is leave this place better than when you found it, and I’d like to think I’ve done that.”