Leicester’s Richard Blaze is forced to retire
Leicester lock Richard Blaze has announced his retirement from rugby after failing to recover from an injury he sustained in 2008.
The 25-year-old was advised by doctors to retire from the game after they confirmed that a stress fracture to the forward’s foot would not recover sufficiently for the player to take part in competitive rugby.
The Leicester player said, “I've been advised that the stress fracture is not going to stand up to the demands of a full-time career and reluctantly announce my retirement."
The player joined the Leicester Tigers from Worcester in 2007, but he missed most of the 2008 season with the injury. The second row returned to the game in September 2009, but Blaze suffered a recurrence of the injury while training with England during
the autumn internationals.
Richard Cockerill, the director of rugby at Leicester believes that the forward would have developed into an important Leicester and England international.
“We signed Richard because he was a young player we could see developing,” said the Leicester director of rugby. “He is a big loss to Leicester Tigers, and also to England, as he has been brought through the international ranks from the age-groups to the
verge of the senior squad."
The lock admitted that he had enjoyed his rugby career in which he was capped at England under-19 and under-21 level. “It's obviously a disappointing moment when you get to the stage where you have to say you cannot play again,” said Blaze. “I was really
looking to push on when I came to Leicester in 2007. But now I will have to move on and make decisions about my future."
Leicester will hope that they can recruit some new English talent to provide cover for their team after hearing Blaze’s announcement.
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