England scrum-half Harry Ellis retires
England and Leicester star Harry Ellis has announced his retirement from rugby union after conceding defeat in his battle with a succession of knee problems.
The scrum-half required a serious operation in 2007 where his knee joint was totally reconstructed but last season he suffered a different injury to the troublesome knee.
After consulting highly-respected orthopaedic surgeon Andy Williams, the 27-cap international was left with no option but to hang up his boots.
"I was gutted and really upset when I found out and it took a while to get used to," Ellis told the Leicester Mercury.
"It took a lot of soul-searching to decide to retire but when someone like Andy Williams says you should call it a day, you have to take his advice.
"It was a very hard decision to make, but it was also easy on the basis of what it had been doing to me.
"All last season I was taking a h**l of a lot of pain-killers and I was constantly having blood and fluid drained from my knee.
"As well as my rugby, there was also my health to think about. The amount of painkillers I was taking every day was causing my stomach real problems.”
Ellis, who played with an energetic, positive attitude, is mirroring those attributes off the pitch as he has vowed to keep smiling and is already planning for his future.
"I am really excited about the rest of my life," he said.
"I have had 10 years playing for the best club in the world and it has been a dream come true. When you are playing, you think you are invincible. But my body has given up on me. I have taken so much from the game, now I want to give something back.
"I want to go into teaching or coaching rugby, potentially at a school. I want to keep my options open.
"I have my testimonial year ahead of me which should be excellent and I have applied to do a sports science degree at Loughborough University.
"It is going to be sad to move on but I will get on with it and there are lots of things for me to look forward to."
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