Billy Twelvetrees announces his retirement

Ealing Trailfinders have confirmed that former England international centre Billy Twelvetrees has decided to retire from professional rugby union.

It is with a warm heart that we wish Billy all the best in his future endeavours, having been a core member of our Championship winning squad last season, with two tries and 46 points from the boot in 18 appearances for Trailfinders.

Twelvetrees’ remarkable career has spanned over a decade and a half, with his first taste of senior rugby coming through Leicester Lions back in 2006. It was there that he would gain the attention of the Leicester Tigers academy and make his first venture towards English rugby’s top tier.

Gaining vital experience from the academy and learning of his versatility at both fly-half and centre, Twelvetrees moved to then National League 1 side Bedford Blues for the 2008/2009 season. Twelvetrees had a sensational campaign, notching 18 tries, 16 conversions and 13 penalties. As to be expected, this did not go unnoticed.

Tigers came calling for Twelvetrees again in 2009, and he made his professional debut for them in remarkable fashion that year. Thrust into the starting line-up with only 10 minutes notice, he scored a try and nine points from the boot against Ospreys, taking home the man of the match award.

Twelvetrees would go on to make 46 appearances for Leicester, scoring 301 points. He established himself at the top tier of English rugby, showing his dynamic ability at multiple positions, and all the while learning from some of the best players in the world.

He would also be part of a record-breaking period for the club, where they went to nine successive Premiership finals from 2005-2014, showing why they were one of the very best in the ‘modern’ era. They won five out of those nine finals in that period, with Twelvetrees playing some part in three of these campaigns, one successful and two not.

Fondly nicknamed ‘36’ by many, due to his captain Geordan Murphy’s Irish accent making Twelvetrees sound like ‘twelve threes,’ he left the club for Gloucester midway through the 2011-12 campaign to boost his England chances. Having been on the England periphery for a while, a move was necessary to gain more playing time.

Twelvetrees hit the ground running on his arrival to the West Country as he earned himself an England call-up ahead of the 2013 Six Nations.

He made the dream debut, scoring against Scotland as England won the Calcutta Cup at Twickenham. His impressive performances during the Six Nations campaign saw him go on tour to Argentina in that summer, where he made one appearance before being drafted into Warren Gatland’s British & Irish Lions squad in Australia.

A fan favourite and a well-respected leader amongst the Kingsholm faithful, Twelvetrees was named Gloucester Rugby’s Club Captain ahead of the 2014-15 season, leading the side to a second European Challenge Cup title at the end of that year.

Billy marked an incredible 10-years of service to the club during his testimonial year in 2021/22, a season in which he also notched up his 250th appearance in Cherry & White.

Twelvetrees made over 270 appearances for Gloucester over an 11-year tenure, with memorable performances against Bordeaux and La Rochelle in his last year there before departing the club as a legend.

During his short time at Trailfinders, his wealth of experience and leadership, as well as his skill, played their part in a memorable campaign, reaching the semi-finals of the Premiership Rugby Cup and winning the Championship.

Director of Rugby Ben Ward paid his tributes towards Billy’s brilliant career:

“Although we only had Billy with us for a year, he made a big impact on our squad. His career speaks for itself and he can be incredibly proud of all that he has achieved. We will miss him as a player, but more than that, he is one of the good guys and a really good bloke that we will miss even more. We wish him all the best for the future.”