A LOT OF players find the transitioning phase from the professional game to ‘the real world’ challenging, and understandably so. For me, however, by the time I was 30 I felt more than ready to put the financial planning qualifications I’d gained to good use.
I’d come to the stage in my career, despite being relatively young to retire, where it was time to put my family front and centre of my life. Uprooting them again to move to another club just didn’t seem the right thing to do, plus I’d grown frustrated with my rugby career not moving forward as I’d have liked.
It was time to take control of my own future, not rely on the decision of a coach as to whether they wanted me or not.
Despite the frustration, I count myself very lucky to have played just over 200 first-class games at three great clubs in Gloucester, Exeter – effectively my home town team – and finally Harlequins, as well as learning so much and making so many friends from the game.
The dressing room banter is definitely something that makes me smile when I look back on the 12 years I had as a pro. Andy Hazell and Will James were always a good combination to have in the changing room at Gloucester, and I liked changing next to Don Armand at Exeter. He was neat and tidy and, being big, he always managed to intercept balls flying towards my head in the endless games of changing room cricket we’d have.
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