Leicester Tigers Assistant Coach Tom Harrison will depart the club at the conclusion of the 2022/23 season.
The scrum coach will join England Rugby senior men’s coaching team.
Harrison joined the Leicester Tigers senior coaching team ahead of the 2020/21 season, stepping up in to the role after three years as part of the club’s academy and junior programme.
After working in community coaching roles with Bristol Bears and Bath Rugby, in 2016 he was appointed Programme Lead and Men’s Rugby Head Coach at Loughborough College.
In 2017, Harrison joined Leicester Tigers as part of the academy coaching team and AASE Programme Manager with the club’s partner Brooksby Melton College, helping lead the Tigers to three successive Under-18 League titles before achieving Premiership success in the 2021/22 campaign.
Speaking about Harrison, Leicester Tigers Chief Executive Officer Andrea Pinchen said: “Since coming into Leicester Tigers, Tom has been an exceptional contributor to the club on and off the field.”
“While obviously disappointed to be losing him at the end of the season, we wish him all the very best for this next chapter in his career.
“Tom is a great reflection of our club’s ability to produce coaches as well as players through the pathway programme at Leicester Tigers and while it has been another challenge for us this year, with coaches being poached by the national side, we continue to see it as a badge of honour for the level at which we are viewed within the game.
“While we are confirming this news now, the campaign is not complete this season and Tom is committed to finishing his time at the club in the hard working way that he has demonstrated throughout the six years at Leicester Tigers.
“This is not a surprise to us and the work has been done in the background to ensure we have a top quality replacement for Tom and coaching team led by Dan McKellar next season, which we will announce in the summer.”
Speaking about the decision, Harrison said: “This was a really tough decision for me but, at this time in my career, I feel it’s the right one and am excited about the opportunity.”
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Leicester Tigers and the chance to work with all the players I have had the privilege to coach during the past six years.
“To have played a part in the careers of so many young men during the first few years and then to have been the senior scrum coach at the club in the past three seasons has been a fulfilling, great experience.
“The experience of working as part of the coaching teams I have been a part of at all levels at Leicester Tigers has been wonderful and I am eternally grateful to each and every coach for what I have learned from them and the memories I will take with me.
“I am excited for what is to come with England but, for now, there is still a lot of work to be done this season and I will be giving my all until the end of our campaign together at Leicester Tigers.”
Leicester Tigers are close to finalising the coaching team for the 2023/24 season, which will be confirmed following the conclusion of the 2022/23 season and will make no further comment on it at this time.
