AGONY ANT

Anthony Watson has been forced into retirement early but is not bitter given his glittering career which took in two Lions tours

- JOSH GRAHAM

IN A parallel universe, Anthony Watson would have been on the plane to Australia for his third Lions tour. Watson has started five of the last six British & Irish Lions Tests, only missing the decider in South Africa last time out in 2021. It's testament to his quality on the wing that he had achieved so much by the age of 30 when a brutal back injury forced him to bring down the curtain on his playing career at Leicester Tigers at the start of this year. And perhaps it's the two Lions tours, reaching the 2019 World Cup final and winning over 50 caps for his country that has allowed Watson to not curse his rotten injury luck - which may have robbed him of another five years playing at the highest level. “To be honest with you, it’s just the way the cookie crumbles,” Watson, now 31, tells Rugby World. “I'm quite matter of fact with how I deal with things and I knew I couldn't carry on playing. I trusted my surgeon wholeheartedly that he had my best interests (at heart).” It is an easier decision to hang up the boots when menial tasks like sitting down and standing up become a chore due to the pain.

“Obviously I would have liked to have played for significantly longer,” adds Watson. “But I also wasn't content to sacrifice my ability to do my first job, which is be a dad and help out at home.

“And my back over the last year or so had taken away a lot of my ability to do that. So it’s a strange one because on the one hand, I'm super upset or gutted to not be able to play more, but equally I’m happy that I can commit more to my family, which is my priority. “You know there’s so much more to life than rugby. I would like to have done more but I’m content with what I achieved in the game to some extent. I've got to move on and see where life takes me.” He may not be rushing back to get on the field anymore but the toll of 14 years as a professional in this most punishing of sports has certainly left a lasting impact.