England star, 30, forced into shock early retirement after years of injury problems
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England star Anthony Watson has been forced to retire at the age of 30 on medical grounds. The winger, who was most recently playing for Leicester Tigers, won 56 caps for his country and spent almost a decade playing for England. His exploits also saw him become a two-time British and Irish Lion, starting five tests across his appearances in 2017 and 2021.
Watson rose to prominence at London Irish before truly making his name at Bath, but in more recent years has struggled to get consistent minutes on the pitch due to injury. He missed the 2023 World Cup with a calf issue despite originally being named in the squad.
More recently the Leicester man has had to deal with Achilles and back issues, limiting his outings this season, and now he has taken the decision to step away from the sport. He said: “My overarching feeling is of pride. 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.”.
Watson made his England debut against New Zealand in 2014 and went on to play at two World Cups, starting the final defeat to South Africa in 2019 in Japan. He finishes his England career with tally of 23 tries - putting him eighth on the all-time list.
