Dan Cole to follow Ben Youngs into retirement

Leicester have confirmed that Dan Cole will retire at the end of the season.

The Tigers prop has made 340 senior appearances for the club over almost two decades and has played over 550 games of professional rugby.

After graduating from the club’s Academy, Cole learnt his trade in the Championship with Bedford and Nottingham before becoming a regular with Tigers in the 2008/09 season.

Cole came off the bench in the final at the end of that season, a 10-9 win against London Irish, and went on to win three more league titles as well as two Anglo-Welsh Cups.

And Cole will be hoping to pocket another Premiership winner’s medal this season, as Leicester are all but certain of making the play-offs.

With England, Cole won 118 caps, the second most of all-time for the men’s side behind long-time club and country team-mate Ben Youngs (127).

He represented England in four successive Rugby World Cups (2011, 2015, 2017, 2023), playing in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final, and won three Six Nations Championships (2011, 2016, 2017).

In 2013, he was selected to tour Australia with the British & Irish Lions and played in all three Test matches and in 2017, he was selected for a second tour for the series against New Zealand. He made a total of 14 appearances for the British & Irish Lions in two tours.

Cole and Youngs, who will also retire at the end of the current campaign, started a podcast, For The Love of Rugby, in January 2024.

Speaking about his decision to retire, Cole said: “It has not been an easy decision at all. I have been to-ing and fro-ing; however, I think this is the best time for me to finish playing.”

“I believe, with Ben Youngs, Julián Montoya and others that are in and around my age, ending their time at the club at the end of the season, plus the new chapter next season with Geoff Parling coming in as Head Coach, it’s time for the club to kick-on and the right time for me to go.

“This is what I have done and what I have known every day for the past twenty years and so, the easy thing would have been to sign for a year and keep playing, but it’s the right thing to do. It is a really tough decision to make, but I know it’s the right one.

“As you get older, physically, it’s definitely harder to carry on and, looking around the changing room, I am ten years older than most of the guys in there with me and that’s challenging as well. I don’t want to be the old guy, just sat around and hanging on to something for too long.”

Looking ahead, Cole added: “This place means a lot to me. I have made some great memories with some great people at Leicester Tigers.”

“Overall, I have loved my career, but haven’t loved every minute, which has allowed me to appreciate the good times even more. However, when I do look back on it properly at the end, I know I won’t want to change anything about it.

“Most important to me, today when I announce it, is that it’s clear it is not over yet. This is about finishing my career at the end of our season. There is still hopefully a few more games left for me to play this season.”