Latest news with #EnglandRugby
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Former England prop Dan Cole announces he will retire at end of season
Former England prop Dan Cole has announced he is to retire at the end of the season. The 38-year-old, who is the country's second-most capped men's player with 118, will hang up his boots at the conclusion of Leicester's campaign. Cole featured in four World Cups with England, reaching the final in 2019, and has won four Premiership titles with the Tigers. He also toured twice with the British and Irish Lions. The veteran said his decision was partly influenced by that of Ben Youngs, his long-time team-mate for club and country, who is also retiring. Cole told Leicester's website: 'It has not been an easy decision at all. I have been to-ing and fro-ing – however, I think this is the best time for me to finish playing. 'I believe with Ben Youngs, Julian Montoya and others that are in and around my age ending their time at the club at the end of the season, plus the new chapter next season with Geoff Parling coming in as head coach, it's time for the club to kick on and the right time for me to go. 'As you get older, physically, it's definitely harder to carry on and, looking around the changing room, I am 10 years older than most of the guys in there with me and that's challenging as well. Cole was selected for two Lions tours (David Davies/PA) 'I don't want to be the old guy, just sat around and hanging on to something for too long.' Cole, a graduate of the Tigers' academy, has made 340 senior appearances for the club since his debut in October 2007. He had loan spells at Bedford Blues and Nottingham early in his career before establishing himself as a regular in the Leicester side in the 2008-09 campaign. His first England cap came in 2010 and he went on to win three Six Nations titles, in 2011, 2016 and 2017. He's not only a brilliant team player, but also a rare talent England head coach Steve Borthwick paid tribute to his former team-mate. Borthwick said: 'It was a privilege to play alongside Dan at the start of his Test career and later to coach him. 'He's not only a brilliant team player, but also a rare talent. His loyalty and service to both England and Leicester Tigers have been truly outstanding. 'While his retirement marks the end of a remarkable playing career, I've no doubt he'll continue to make a meaningful impact in whatever comes next. We all wish him the very best for the future.' 118 appearances in an England Rugby jersey 🌹 Thank you, Dan 👏 — England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) May 27, 2025 Cole played all three Lions Tests against Australia in 2013 and also toured New Zealand four years later. And he has a chance to bow out with another title with Leicester currently second in the Gallagher Premiership ahead of the final round of regular-season fixtures. He said: 'It's clear it is not over yet. This is about finishing my career at the end of our season. There is still hopefully a few more games left for me to play.'
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Dan Cole retires a titan who will be remembered for resilience over highlights
When looking back on the rugby life and times of Dan Cole, what is most striking is that, after almost two decades at the front-row coal face, after the triumphs, trophies and truculence, it was something entirely intangible which stands tall above all else. It is the 38-year-old's resilience; or, to borrow a sporting cliché, his bouncebackability. The veteran Leicester and England tighthead will retire at the end of the season, but, when recalling his career, it is not necessarily the highs that immediately spring to mind. It is often overlooked, given his Leicester debut came in 2007, that he burst onto the scene as English rugby's most dynamic, rounded prop. It was his mauling of then England loosehead Tim Payne against Wasps which led to a first Test cap in 2010, at the age of 23 – tender for an international tighthead. But it is easy to forget how, at one time or another, he jackalled as effectively as England's back row, too. DRC in numbers. 🐻❄️ — Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) May 27, 2025 Another 339 appearances – with, probably, a few more to come this season – for the Tigers ensued, as well as four Premiership titles. Cole wore those renowned East Midlands stripes having grown up a dyed-in-the-wool Tiger, playing his junior rugby – mostly in the back row – for the neighbouring grass-roots club, South Leicester. From those muddy pitches, a brilliant career for both England and the Lions followed; Cole made 118 appearances for England and won three Test caps for the British and Irish Lions. And yet, it was arguably the nadir of Cole's playing career which is most vividly remembered by English rugby fans. Cole was known as a destructive scrummager – ask Tom Court and the rest of the Irish front row who featured in the 2012 Six Nations – but in Yokohama, as Cole trotted off the bench early in the 2019 World Cup final, the tighthead was chewed up and spat out by a South African juggernaut hell-bent on global hegemony. Cole did not feature for his country again under then head coach Eddie Jones, believing his international career to be over while attempting to convalesce the deepest of emotional wounds and scars. But it is a measure of Cole's durability and work ethic that he returned to his club and continued to give his all for a boyhood cause. When Steve Borthwick replaced the sacked Jones as England head coach at the end of 2022, Cole sniffed a second chance. It was Cole, after all, who had been the cornerstone of the Leicester pack which, under Borthwick, had lifted the Premiership title a season earlier. With Borthwick from Leicester went Richard Wigglesworth, Kevin Sinfield and Aled Walters, the fitness guru – all of whom knew Cole well. When the inevitable England recall came, it was Walters who convinced Cole to take on the role of Stone Cold in England training, with the veteran re-enacting Steve Austin's famous wrestling entrance (replacing beer with water) to his team-mate's delight and social media acclaim. STONE COLD DAN COLE. Elite content via @JoeMarler on Instagram! #RWC2023 — Tight Five Rugby (@TightFive_Rugby) September 21, 2023 Whether Cole yearned for personal retribution after 2019 is not fully known; he is a unique, droll character who often kept his cards close to his chest, instead opting for wise-cracks. Regardless, there was symbolic retribution four years on. The image of him trotting off in the 56th minute of the 2023 World Cup semi-final alongside Joe Marler, his great mate, having held resolutely in the face of his demons from four years previous, a Springbok scrummaging onslaught, will stay with all those who were in the Stade de France that evening for a long time. England went on to lose, but Cole must surely have slept easy that night, after a standing ovation from the England fans in Paris, knowing he could have given no more to the cause. Cole retires as a tighthead titan and a Leicester legend alongside a cabal of his former England team-mates, in a season that has become a curtain call of sorts for English rugby. Cole, Marler, Ben Youngs – alongside whom Cole has established the successful For the Love of Rugby podcast – Mike Brown, Anthony Watson, Danny Care and Alex Goode are all now hanging up their boots. The final chapter 📖 — Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) May 27, 2025 'Overall, I have loved my career but I haven't loved every minute,' Cole said. 'That has allowed me to appreciate the good times even more. However, when I do look back on it properly at the end, I know I won't want to change anything about it.' Those words from the man himself are telling. Tuesday was a poignant day for Cole, as well as those close to him, yet, as ever with this great Midlands yeoman, we can be sure that, whatever the next move, brightness lies ahead. History can reassure us of that.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former England prop Dan Cole announces he will retire at end of season
Former England prop Dan Cole has announced he is to retire at the end of the season. The 38-year-old, who is the country's second-most capped men's player with 118, will hang up his boots at the conclusion of Leicester's campaign. Cole featured in four World Cups with England, reaching the final in 2019, and has won four Premiership titles with the Tigers. He also toured twice with the British and Irish Lions. DRC in numbers. 🐻❄️ — Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) May 27, 2025 The veteran said his decision was partly influenced by that of Ben Youngs, his long-time team-mate for club and country, who is also retiring. Cole told Leicester's website: 'It has not been an easy decision at all. I have been to-ing and fro-ing – however, I think this is the best time for me to finish playing. 'I believe with Ben Youngs, Julian Montoya and others that are in and around my age ending their time at the club at the end of the season, plus the new chapter next season with Geoff Parling coming in as head coach, it's time for the club to kick on and the right time for me to go. 'As you get older, physically, it's definitely harder to carry on and, looking around the changing room, I am 10 years older than most of the guys in there with me and that's challenging as well. 'I don't want to be the old guy, just sat around and hanging on to something for too long.' Cole, a graduate of the Tigers' academy, has made 340 senior appearances for the club since his debut in October 2007. He had loan spells at Bedford Blues and Nottingham early in his career before establishing himself as a regular in the Leicester side in the 2008-09 campaign. His first England cap came in 2010 and he went on to win three Six Nations titles, in 2011, 2016 and 2017. England head coach Steve Borthwick paid tribute to his former team-mate. Borthwick said: 'It was a privilege to play alongside Dan at the start of his Test career and later to coach him. 'He's not only a brilliant team player, but also a rare talent. His loyalty and service to both England and Leicester Tigers have been truly outstanding. 'While his retirement marks the end of a remarkable playing career, I've no doubt he'll continue to make a meaningful impact in whatever comes next. We all wish him the very best for the future.' 118 appearances in an England Rugby jersey 🌹 Thank you, Dan 👏 — England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) May 27, 2025 Cole played all three Lions Tests against Australia in 2013 and also toured New Zealand four years later. And he has a chance to bow out with another title with Leicester currently second in the Gallagher Premiership ahead of the final round of regular-season fixtures. He said: 'It's clear it is not over yet. This is about finishing my career at the end of our season. There is still hopefully a few more games left for me to play.'
Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
‘England axe was blessing' — how Joe Cokanasiga got ready for recall
The Principality Stadium has not been a particularly happy hunting ground for Joe Cokanasiga. The Bath wing has played in Cardiff twice for England. He finished on the losing side both times, most recently in a warm-up match that sealed his exclusion from England's 2023 World Cup squad. Now he is being dragged back there for the second time in a fortnight for the European Challenge Cup final against Lyon on Friday. 'I've had a lot of history there,' Cokanasiga says. 'I've been there with England and last time I was there [with the national team] I didn't have a good experience.' He had a happier experience there two weeks ago when, although an understrength Bath were beaten by Bristol Bears, their young side gave
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cokanasiga has 'hunger' to play for England again
Bath winger Joe Cokanasiga said he does not feel his England career is over and he has felt more "hunger" this season to play internationally again. The 27-year-old has been capped 16 times by England but has not played since August 2023 and was overlooked for the World Cup squad that autumn. Cokanasiga is Bath's joint-leading try-scorer this season, with 10 in all competitions. "This year especially I felt more of a hunger to play for England again because I'd been out for so long. If it happens, it happens," Cokanasiga said. "It's something that's still in my head, I spoke to Steve [Borthwick, England head coach] the other day and I have to play well for my club first, that's my priority. "But I feel like if I do that then I'll get the best outcome. I don't feel that my England career is over yet." Bath to 'stick to process' in European cup final From injury to history - Davidson's rise to ref European final Lions duo Russell & Williams among player of year nominees Cokanasiga, who was born in Fiji, represented England at under-18 and under-20 level before being called up to the senior squad by Eddie Jones in 2017. He made his Test debut in November 2018 aged 19, scoring a try in the win against Japan and another against Australia a week later. In total he has 13 tries across his 16 games but says he is a much more "consistent" player now than he was when he earned his last cap. "The main [area of improvement] was the high ball because that was a big thing that didn't get me into the World Cup, I felt like," Cokanasiga said. "That was for me a blessing in disguise, because I came back and worked on that massively and just keep going back over my hand-eye. "Now I feel like I've improved massively on it and it's a part of the game I look forward to." Cokanasiga will start on the wing against French Top 14 side Lyon on Friday night (20:00 BST) as Premiership leaders Bath look to clinch their second trophy of the season in the European Challenge Cup final, having also been part of the squad that won the Premiership Rugby Cup in February. He scored a scintillating try last weekend as they thrashed Leicester 43-15 in the league, running from deep in his own half after Max Ojomoh's interception. Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan said Cokanasiga has become a "more rounded player" during his tenure at the club. "He's by far the biggest winger that I've coached but Joe's got this amazing ability to finish tries, he's got this hunger to get better," he said. "We've ID'd certain bits of his game he needs to get better and he's become a much more all-round player." Cokanasiga agreed his consistency across the pitch has come with the more experienced he has become. "As I've gotten older my priorities have changed of how I need to perform in the game," he said. "Then we've got people like [Bath attack coach] Lee Blackett that has a different view of the game than I do and that's helped me improve massively. "Johann's someone I can go and speak to about anything and let everything out, he can be honest with me, I can be honest with him, same with Lee and JP [Ferreira, defence coach]. "They give you a lot of confidence and that's massive in players."
