Harry Simmons forced to retire

Leicester Tigers have confirmed today that Harry Simmons has been forced to retire from rugby on medical grounds.

Harry sustained a serious eye injury against Leinster in the Investec Champions Cup in January, and after exploring all avenues to return to play safely, has been forced to hang up his boots.

A product of the Tigers academy, Harry joined the club after school and made the first of his 39 appearances for the in 2017 against Gloucester.

Harry has now moved into a coaching role with the club.

Harry Simmons, #2272, said:

“It is with a heavy heart that I’ve been forced to make the difficult decision to hang up my boots and retire from playing professional rugby due to a serious eye injury back in January.

"It had always been a dream of mine to play for this club and I am so proud to have been lucky enough to be able to do so over the last nine years.

Sharing the field with so many incredible players has been an honour I will cherish forever. I will inevitably miss playing and the camaraderie of my teammates. 

"There are too many people to thank for helping me throughout my career.

"The loyal fans, whose support is like no other, I’m proud to have had the pleasure to play in front of you. My quality teammates, I have made friendships that’ll last a lifetime and memories that I will never forget. The staff and every coach who has helped me along the way, who have always supported me and helped me grow both as a player and as a person.

"And most importantly, Lauren and my family, I cannot thank enough for always believing in me, supporting me through good times and bad, and how they have helped me through this difficult time over the last 11 months has been unbelievable and for that I’ll be forever grateful. 

"While this isn’t the ending I envisioned and there are many more goals I would love to have achieved, I leave playing the game with immense pride and gratitude for every opportunity I’ve had.

"I’m excited to begin my coaching journey here and I am looking forward to what the future holds. Like I gave everything whilst playing, I will continue to drive this club and its players forward in every way I can.“

Leicester Tigers general manager, Richard Wilks added: “Personally, and on behalf of the club, I want to say how proud we are of Harry, and how he has faced this challenge.”

“As a rugby player, Harry was tremendously gifted, and was unfortunate to have not played more games for the club, through injuries mostly. As a person, he is loved by staff and teammates here at the club, and it’s been difficult for all of us to see his career end this way.”

“Harry has already shown a great enthusiasm for coaching and a real talent for it, particularly his empathy with the young lads in our academy, and we are keen to expose him to all facets of the performance side of the club.”