Former England and Leicester Tigers centre Guy Porter has revealed why he made the shock decision to retire from professional rugby with immediate effect aged just 27.
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Porter called time on his career in the summer of 2024 after struggling to recover from a long-term injury.
The six-cap England international had not played for Leicester since November 2023 and ultimately decided the risks associated with continuing his career outweighed his desire to play on.
PORTER EXPLAINS RETIREMENT
Speaking exclusively to RugbyDump about his decision, Porter revealed he had consulted doctors and neurologists during his recovery.
He said: “I had a particularly long-term injury from November which I struggled to get back from. I spoke to a few doctors and neurologists along the recovery journey and tried to work it out in my head, but ultimately, I’d decided that I’d pushed it as far as I’d like to.
“As soon as I felt like I didn’t have the desire to do that I realised it was probably time to move on while I was still feeling positive about it.
“I finished my contract and in the context of all that, I just decided not to look for anything else because I felt like the ongoing risk outweighed my desire to continue.”
Porter made 68 appearances for Leicester after joining the club in 2020 and helped Tigers win the Premiership title in 2022.
He also won six England caps after making his international debut under Eddie Jones during the 2022 tour of Australia.
WHAT NEXT?
Porter insisted he remained positive about life after rugby, having studied law at the University of Sydney before becoming a professional player.
He added: “It’s certainly not a sob story. I think people are very lovely and endearing, and feel sorry for me to some extent, but I feel like I’ve had a really good experience of it and now I’m feeling positive about doing something else.”
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WILL JOSEPH
Will Joseph was one of the final players to earn a senior England debut under Eddie Jones, emerging as a highly rated centre from the London Irish system and one of the more instinctive attacking midfielders of his age group. Educated at Millfield, Joseph progressed rapidly through England U18 and U20 honours before breaking into senior contention.
Joseph made his Premiership breakthrough with London Irish in 2021, showcasing sharp footwork and attacking awareness, most notably scoring in the Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final against Leicester Tigers. Eddie Jones included him in the 2022 Summer tour of Australia squad, and Joseph made his Test debut off the bench in Brisbane during England’s second Test win over the Wallabies.
However, despite that promising introduction, he has not featured for England since that tour, and has yet to appear under Steve Borthwick. Joseph’s international trajectory stalled at a pivotal moment, as he was omitted from the 2023 Rugby World Cup squad, missing out on a place in Steve Borthwick’s final 33-man group after featuring in training squads earlier in the cycle.
The decision left him outside the tournament entirely, and he has not yet forced his way back into Test contention. At club level, he rebuilt his momentum after London Irish’s collapse in 2023 with Harlequins, before agreeing a move to Gloucester in 2025. Still only in his early twenties, Joseph remains a player with England potential rather than certainty, waiting for a second international chance to arrive.
