I've achieved way more than I thought I would

KNOW most people probably thought I had already retired but now it’s official. After years of my body trying to finish me off, the time has finally come.

- TOMMY TAYLOR

I have been advised to retire due to the injury I sustained in October, which is something I never wanted to say, but something that I have seen coming in the past few months, so I have managed to make peace with it.

This has been a long one so has given me the opportunity to gain the perspective needed to see I’ve achieved way more than I ever thought I would. I wasn’t involved with any England age grade teams, or even the North, so I never thought I would be a professional rugby player let alone one for 15 years. As an 18-year-old with a few paths ahead of me, I committed to a year to see if I could get myself a contract, which I did, and that moment will still live with me as the highlight of my rugby career! If that hadn’t have worked out I was planning to become a geologist and either hunting for dinosaurs or hunting for oil!

I grew up watching Sale. My dad played for the club until 1992 so there was always that connection. He would take me down to Edgeley Park on the train from Macclesfield to see matches. So to follow in his footsteps and actually run out as a Sale player meant a lot. My debut was Quins away (a 48-41 defeat). When I started I was a 93 kilo (14st 9lbs) hooker, aged 19, whereas you wouldn't have a sniff of doing it now at that age. The young lads coming through the academy are all pretty mature physically and kick on from the start. I was still only 106kgs (16st 9lbs) when I played my last game, so I was never a big hooker.

All I was worried about when I came on for my debut was the lineout. But, for those 20-odd minutes, there wasn’t a single lineout so I needn't have worried. I'd even be nervous about my lineout throwing the night before a lineout session in training. I was so nervous about it in those early days, that I can remember one game where I dreaded the ball going out because I knew what was coming next. But in the end, I embraced the skill and it became a strength of mine.