Second-rower Kitchener has spent two seasons with Worcester Warriors and waved farewell to Sixways in an England Saxons shirt in the final of the Churchill Cup on Saturday.
Now he plans to enjoy a summer break before settling into new surroundings at Leicester.
“Jordan Crane has told me a few stories – but I’m not sure what to believe,” Kitchener said as the dust settled on a 37-6 win over Canada on Saturday.
“I’m keen on having a break now but I’m looking forward to a new challenge at Leicester, a new start and trying to prove myself again.
“It’ll be good to work with all the players in my position, guys like Louis Deacon and George Skivington, there’s a lot of good players there.
“One of the reasons to go to Leicester was to play with current international players at the top of their game. That is a steep challenge but I’m looking forward to it.”
Kitchener came through a long season with Worcester, which ended with promotion to the Aviva Premiership, then played for England against the Barbarians at Twickenham and made three appearances in the Churchill Cup, scoring a try against in the USA and starting the win over Canada in the final.
“To win the Churchill Cup was a goal from the start for us so I’m happy with that,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed the four weeks with the squad, the time has gone really quickly and everyone bonded really well.”
