Former England rugby star makes remarkable career switch to commercial pilot

Yarde, who won 13 caps for England and represented London Irish, Harlequins and Sale Sharks during his career, has relocated to Portugal to complete an intensive commercial pilot training programme.

The 34-year-old revealed aviation had fascinated him for years and, with his playing days now behind him, decided the time was right to pursue an entirely different path.

“I’m living abroad currently,” Yarde said. “I managed to take up a commercial pilot course in Portugal and it’s been a revelation to be honest.

“It’s something I’ve always been intrigued about wanting to do, so I just took a decision.

“Having a child as well, you start to think a little bit more in the future, so it was important. But it’s a lot of hard work and definitely not an easy thing to do.”

Yarde is completing an integrated pilot training course which he says takes around two to three years, with the former England speedster now approaching the final stages.

“I’m at the back end of it now,” he explained. “You have to do around 800 hours of classroom, so it’s basically going back to class with people of all different ages from all different parts of the world.

“You meet some interesting people.

“We do about 26 exams in total and you have a time constraint of 18 months for completing those exams, so it’s quite intense.

“You’re going to class for probably about eight hours a day, Monday to Friday, and then having to study on top of that.”

For somebody whose entire adult life revolved around professional sport, returning to full-time education has represented a major change.

However, Yarde has embraced both the challenge and his new surroundings in Portugal.

“It’s very nice,” he said. “I’ve actually moved a little bit towards the middle now, where the aerodrome is, but I did the ground [school] in a place called Cascais, which is a beautiful part of Portugal.”

Yarde made his England debut against Argentina in 2013 and scored eight tries during his 13 appearances for his country.

Now, rather than attempting to resurrect his rugby career, the former international is closing in on completing an extraordinary transition from the rugby pitch to the cockpit.

From jaw-dropping tries to unforgettable moments (and yes, some questionable haircuts), these players defined a golden era of the game. If their names don’t instantly come to mind, we suggest a quick trip to YouTube to jog your memory. Trust us, it’s worth it.

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