The Academy - Episode 1 - Behind the scenes with Leicester Tigers' academy programme

Leicester Tigers are steeped in the history of Rugby. Winning three Premiership titles and back to back European titles in the early 2000s, the club is a giant of the game.

Over the last two decades they have produced some of the best rugby players on the planet and their identity is the embodiment of the English rugby ethos: hard-nosed, fast-paced and at times ruthlessly brutal.

The club have a strong tradition of producing home-grown players. Tigers legends Martin Johnson and Graham Rowntree were developed from a strong youth structure and Tigers recognised very early that an Academy system was needed to develop players capable of playing professional rugby.

In 1998 the Tigers Academy was established with players such as Harry Ellis, Sam Vesty and Louis Deacon among the first to successfully come through the system. In 2002, Tigers were rewarded for their pioneering work with RFU Academy status.

The programme has produced more than 100 age-grade internationals as well as producing British & Irish Lions caps Tom Croft, Dan Cole, Harry Ellis, Ollie Smith, Manu Tuilagi, and Ben and Tom Youngs.

RugbyPass goes behind the scenes of the programme to see what it takes to become a Leicester Tiger; going on a journey with Academy hopefuls over the course of their championship. We see the laughs, we see the pain and we see what it takes to make it at the highest level.

RugbyPass presents: ‘The Academy’.