Speaking to rugby scribe Ben Coles, England speedster Anthony Watson has revealed all about his messy Bath exit.
Capable of playing at full-back, wing or outside-centre, Watson will move to Leicester from Bath or the 2022/23 Gallagher Premiership season .
“They said they were not going to be able to offer anything to keep me,” Watson recalled in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph.
“There seemed to be a lot of mixed messages as to why the decision was made, who made it etc. I ended up with a lot of resentment, if I’m honest, towards a lot of the leadership in the organisation.
I just felt that after all my time at the club, things should have been handled better.”
Watson went on to speak about the salary cap, which has been significantly reduced from £6.4m to £5m for next season.
“I want to highlight that there are people in rugby, very good players, without a job next year,” Watson added. “Mike Brown, Rob Miller at Wasps, my brother [Marcus Watson].
'"For those boys there needs to be more aftercare, looking after what they are doing next. The [salary cap] rule was only implemented 18 months ago - it’s difficult for people to have to think about transitioning into life after rugby because of a quick rule change.”
READ HIS FULL INTERVIEW WITH BEN COLES BY CLICKING HERE.
Watson was born in Surrey and was a member of the London Irish academy before making his professional debut for The Exiles in 2011 and representing England at Under-20 level for the next two seasons.
He moved to Bath in 2013 and has since made more than 100 appearances for the club in the Premiership and European competitions.
He made his Test debut for England in 2014 against New Zealand at Twickenham and has made more than 50 international appearances, including at the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups.
He was also selected for back-to-back British & Irish Lions tours in 2017 and 2021.
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#1. Stephen Myler (Ospreys)
- Age: 37
- Total caps: 1
- Last appearance: vs Argentina (June 2013)
The 37-year-old has signed a contract extension to remain with the Welsh region for another season. The once-capped England international joined the region in 2020 from London Irish with his new contract marking his 20th year and his 21st season as a professional rugby player.