'I can't champion him enough': Geoff Parling laments loss of Hanro Liebenberg

Fans’ favourite Hanro Liebenberg’s departure back to South Africa at the end of the season has been confirmed by Leicester Tigers, with head coach Geoff Parling saying it was a decision taken purely with his family in mind.

A mainstay in the Leicester Tigers side for the past six seasons, the versatile back-row forward is closing in on 150 appearances for the club. He was vice-captain when Leicester won the Premiership in 2022 and captained the club the following season.

As reported by RugbyPass at the end of last month, the Cape Town-born 29-year-old is heading back to his first club the Bulls and his loss will be keenly felt by all at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

Since joining the club from the Bulls in 2019, Liebenberg has established himself as one of the Premiership’s best lineout operators with a reputation for being a tackling machine.

When questioned about his impending departure at the end of the season, Parling admitted he’d have loved him to stay.

“Speaking to Hanro in pre-season, it was probably the start of September, you could genuinely see his love for the club, the place, what this club has done for him and what he has done for the club. But after meeting him and his wife Danielle, you could see that their urge was to take their young family back to their family in South Africa,” said the ex-England and Lions lock.

“Jeez, I’d have loved him to stay but the way he has gone about this over the last couple of months shows what sort of an operator he is.

“We have been very honest with each other. I’d have loved him to stay and I think he would have loved to have stayed from a rugby point of view. But from a family point of view, if his family and Danielle’s family get to see Lucah grow up, it was going to be in South Africa.”

Elaborating on his influence, Parling added: “He’s been brilliant. I think he is a good sounding board for Ches (captain Ollie Chessum) as well.

“He’s direct but he is a real calming figure for those all around him and his on-field comms would be one of the best I’ve come across. So I can’t champion him enough.

“We knew we were signing Aaron Wainwright with this in mind, so we’ve got another quality guy coming in. But, like I said, he’s a great influence on the group and hopefully we’ll have a big finish to his end at Tigers.”

Liebenberg commented: “This decision has been one of the toughest decisions of my career. I love this place and everyone has given me so much. They have always been here for me and my family.”

“I’ll be sad to leave Leicester Tigers at the end of the season, but when I look back in a few years, I’ll have the fondest memories. I’ll be back soon and I’ll bring my kids to experience Mattioli Woods Welford Road once again.

“The club and the trophies here are special, but what I will always remember is the people, the fans. They have always had my back, always had my family’s back and always looked out for me.

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