England and Leicester Tigers winger Anthony Watson has retired from professional rugby union on medical grounds.
The 30-year-old made the last appearance of his career in December and played just seven times for Tigers over the past two seasons because of a multitude of injuries.
A calf injury forced Watson to miss last year’s World Cup, while the latest in a succession of Achilles issues and a back problem that required surgery limited him to just two games for Leicester last term.
He spoke to BBC Radio Leicester in October about concentrating on playing “pain-free” for Leicester again and that he had no immediate focus on an England recall after enduring a “horrendous road” to recovery.
Watson, who earned international honours with the British and Irish Lions and scored 23 tries in 56 England appearances, said he was “proud and blessed” to have had the career he did.
