Fly-half Freddie Burns will trade Leicester Tigers for the Highlanders after being granted an early release from his contract to play in Super Rugby Pacific.

Burns has represented Tigers on 114 occasions and scored 794 points in the process. The former England international was the hero of last season’s Premiership final, where he won the game with a late drop-goal.

The 32-year-old featured for Tigers in two stints and played for other Premiership and Japanese clubs between that.

Brilliant opportunity

The playmaker admits the decision was difficult to make, but the opportunity to ply his trade in New Zealand was “too good” to turn down.

“This decision is not one I have made lightly and has been unbelievably hard,” said Burns.

“At this stage in my career, the opportunity was one I saw as too good to turn down to gain this experience on the field as well as the life experience of living and playing in New Zealand.”

Not getting in the way

Tigers’ interim head coach Richard Wigglesworth said that despite it being tough to see Burns leave the club, he did not want to stand in the way of the opportunity.

“When he approached me with this request, while a tough decision and difficult, I was not going to stand in the way of the opportunity for him to have this experience in his career,” he said.

“He is a hard-working, committed player who has as good a right boot as you will ever see and feel fortunate to have shared in his career throughout the years.”

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