Tizard quits Harlequins: 'Always sad to see a team member move on'

Hugh Tizard will quit Harlequins at the end of this season, the 21-year-old deciding that his future in the game as a second row is better served away from the reigning Gallagher Premiership champions.

With 27 appearances for the club to date, the young lock featured eight times in Harlequins’ run to league title glory last term and he has played an even bigger role this term, having involvement in 14 of the London club’s 16 matches so far this season in all competitions. 

It was reported last month that the former England U20s player was a target of Saracens but Thursday’s announcement by Harlequins gave no indication as to which club the player will play for next season. That picture changed on Friday when a statement from Saracens confirmed that Tizard was indeed their man.   

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“I want to thank everyone at Harlequins for all their support and friendship over the years,” said Tizard. “I’m proud to have come through the system here and gone all the way to winning a Premiership title.

“I’m excited for the new challenge to come next season, but I’m equally as excited to play my part in finishing this campaign with Quins. We have started the season well and I’m looking forward to seeing how far we can go.”

It was last week when Saracens first revealed Jackson Wray's serious-sounding injury#Saracens #GallagherPrem
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Senior Harlequins coach Tabai Matson added: “While it is always sad to see a member of the team move on, we wish Hugh nothing but the absolute best in his next step at the end of the season. Hugh is a valued person and player within our group and we are looking forward to working with him throughout the rest of the season as this squad looks to continue making history.”

Less than 24 hours later, Saracens announced they were excited to confirm the signing of Tizard from Harlequins. “I’m massively excited to make the move to Saracens at the end of the season,” said the player.

“Although it was an incredibly hard decision, I feel that it is the right decision for my rugby. I want to challenge myself and grow as a player and I feel Saracens will be the perfect place to do that. I’m looking forward to working with Mark McCall and the rest of the coaches and joining up with the squad next season.”

Saracens boss McCall added: “We are delighted to be welcoming Hugh to Saracens. He has significant experience considering he is just 21 years old and we were impressed by his obvious hunger and determination to take his game to the next level. Hugh will complement the other locks we have at the club very well and we are confident he can realise his huge potential in the years to come.”