Harlequins sign Tyrone Green from the Super Rugby Lions

Harlequins have snapped up Tyrone Green, a promising young full-back/wing from the Super Rugby Lions. The South African speedster first came through the ranks as a fly-half but went on to impress as an outside back at the 2018 Junior World Championship and during the 2018 Currie Cup season.

The 22-year-old also boasts an impressive kicking game to pair his pedigree as a running threat. Speaking to Harlequins TV after this deal was signed: “It’s very exciting. I’ve always wanted to make a move to England since I was young, and Harlequins is one club that’s appealed to me for quite a while now.

“I spoke to (Paul (Gustard) and just what he said, the way you handle things at Harlequins, the interest he takes in the players, that was a big attracting factor for myself. And also the rugby that Harlequins has been playing is very entertaining. That was a big deciding factor for me in the decision process.

“With Marcus Smith at fly-half, I’ve played against him at junior level at the U20s World Cup, he’s a great fly-half, he gets the backline going. But also it’s a very good league to get the attacking game going.

“It’s just the type of rugby Harlequins play, especially in the backline, it feels like they can have a go. They try to beat them, offload. The flow and the vision that Harlequins play with, it’s very entertaining, it fits quite well into the style that I like to play.”

Harlequins boss Gustard added: “Tyrone is someone I have been watching for some considerable time having been alerted to his performances by my good friend Ernst Joubert in South Africa.

“I’m sure our fans will be excited by watching footage of him from his junior international games and Super Rugby where he was one of the standout performers in the first few rounds of this year’s competition. 

“He was in the top ten for defenders beaten in this year’s truncated Super Rugby season, which is no mean feat in such an attack-inclined league. Over the last two years, he has cemented a role in a dangerous, attack-focused team at the Lions alongside established Springboks and veteran Super Rugby players. 

“He has electric feet and some beautiful skills having developed as a fly-half at junior levels, but it is his tenacity and fight in contact that really caught my eye. He fights and twists and turns violently through contact, which is so vital in modern-day rugby, and possesses the kind of desire you see from a Harlequin great in Mike Brown.

“I’m really excited to see him run out and know he will add significant value on the field. However, for all his skills on the pitch, it was meeting him in person in Johannesburg after one of our games that cemented our desire to recruit him. 

“He is one of the most driven, dedicated young men I have spoken to, who is very clear on what he wants. His passion for the sport and the game was so obvious and satisfying to see. I anticipate big things from Tyrone.”