England, British and Irish Lions and Leicester Tigers back Anthony Watson has been forced to retire from rugby on medical grounds.
The 30-year-old, who last appeared in the Gallagher Premiership in December, had been restricted to just seven appearances for Leicester Tigers over the last two seasons by a series of injuries.
A calf injury saw Watson miss out on representing England at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, before Achilles problems and back surgery hampered the remainder of his season with Leicester, ultimately forcing him to call time on his distinguished career.
Watson bows out of rugby having won 56 caps for England, with whom he won three Six Nations titles and reached the Rugby World Cup final in 2019.
The former London Irish and Bath Rugby back also represented the British and Irish Lions on their tours of New Zealand and South Africa in 2017 and 2021.
“My overarching feeling is of pride,” Watson said. “I’m proud and blessed to have done what I did through my career; to have represented my family, my country and two of the biggest clubs in the country.
“When I started out, I wanted to make my dad more than anyone proud, I wanted to play for England and the Lions with my parents in the crowd and, eventually, wanted to share a moment with my children on the field. I can say I’ve done all those things.”
England head coach Steve Borthwick led the tributes to Watson, adding: “Anthony Watson is to be congratulated on a fantastically successful career.
“I was fortunate to have coached Anthony both at Leicester Tigers and England. He is a humble, hard-working professional man who is universally liked and admired in the game.
“Anthony not only brought his incredible talent to the England shirt every time he played, but he was also a player who was immensely proud to represent his country.
“We all wish him the best in the next chapter and thank him for everything he did for the England team.”
Resilient Watson a generational talent
Sky Sports’ Tony Tighe:
Anthony Watson won three Six Nations titles, played five Tests on two British and Lions tours, started in a World Cup final, yet you still feel there could and should have been more.
It’s a testament to Watson’s character and resolve that he battled back from countless injury setbacks to return to the top of the sport. He spoke last year of his desire to play “pain-free” but when it began to affect his family life he realised time was up.
His career has been cut short at just 30 but Watson will be remembered as an England and Lions great.
He shot onto the scene as a 17-year-old with London Irish, becoming the club’s youngest player to feature in a Premiership match. Comfortable at wing or full-back, he was part of the England U20 side that won the Junior World Championship in 2013 and within 18 months had debuted for the senior team.
Watson possessed swift footwork and searing pace and was a mainstay during the early days of the Eddie Jones era, scoring three tries as England won a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2016. England retained their title the following year and Watson’s form saw him selected by Lions coach Warren Gatland.
He scored the Lions’ first try of their New Zealand tour and quickly played his way into the Test side, Gatland giving him the nod ahead of George North and Jack Nowell and then retaining the No 14 shirt during that epic drawn series.
He wore the same jersey for England during their brilliant run to the 2019 World Cup final, scoring a try in their resounding quarter-final win over Australia.
Titles evaded him at club level, losing Premiership and European finals during his 10 seasons at Bath, while injuries were a more regular disruption after joining Leicester in 2022, forcing Watson to hang up his boots a month before his 31st birthday.
His career ends earlier than expected but Watson crammed plenty into his 15 years as a professional.
Source : Sky Sports
