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'Absolute warrior': English lock who thrived in New Zealand quits
Harlequins lock Matt Symons will retire from rugby at the end of the current season, the 32-year-old calling time on an eleven-year playing career that began in Esher and saw him travel to New Zealand to captain the Super Rugby Chiefs before returning to England to play in the Premiership for London Irish, Wasps and Quins. A Harlequins statement read: “A totemic figure within the Quins side that claimed the 2020/21 Premiership title in dramatic fashion, Symons will close his career having played over 80 times over the last four years.
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“Symons’ route to professional rugby was a rarely-travelled one. First taking up the sport within the Saracens youth system from the age of five, he left the North London side to pursue a career in rowing, going on to take up a spot in the Britain rowing programme.
“A forearm injury prematurely ended Symons’ rowing ambitions, seeing the 6ft 7in, 120kg lock return to rugby in 2011 to play professionally for Esher. Impressing during his time in the Championship, Symons opted to move to New Zealand, settling in Christchurch to play for Canterbury in the ITM Cup as a regular starter.
“The Harlow-born lock subsequently earned a full-time contract with two-time Super Rugby champions the Chiefs, whom he would go on to captain before his eventual return to England in 2015. After he retires this summer, Symons will transition into a new role in commercial real estate with Jones Lang LaSalle in central London.”
Symons said: “There comes a natural time for every rugby player to hang up their boots and I feel fortunate to be able to make that decision on my own terms. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities I have been given through professional rugby. It has given me the chance to live out a childhood dream and meet some fantastic people.
“I’m now really excited to shift into a new working environment where I can hopefully add value using some of the skills developed through elite sport. Winning the Premiership here with Harlequins last season is my most cherished rugby memory. Overall, from the journey to New Zealand and finishing up back in London, I have been very lucky. I’m grateful to be able to put my all into the remainder of the Premiership season here at Quins with a title defence on the line. This is a special group that can and has done incredible things. I’m glad to be able to push for one more trophy before I bow out.”
Harlequins director of rugby performance Billy Millard added on Symons: “Matt has been an absolute warrior for the club since he joined us four years ago. He is one of rugby’s good guys and was instrumental to our Premiership win last season. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with the big man.
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“We wish him nothing but the absolute best as he transitions into his new role in the city at the end of the season and we look forward to a few more months of working together at the business end of our campaign before he retires.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
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