Dan Cole has announced his looming retirement from professional rugby.
The vastly-experienced England and Leicester prop stalwart, who turned 38 earlier this month, announced on Tuesday that he would be hanging up his boots at the conclusion of the current Premiership season, in which Tigers remain firmly in the title hunt.
Michael Cheika’s side finish the regular campaign at home to rock-bottom Newcastle at Welford Road on Saturday, sitting second in the table ahead of Sale and Bristol and five points clear of fifth-place Gloucester in the battle for a play-off spot after being thrashed 43-15 by table-toppers Bath on the penultimate weekend.
The record 11-time Premiership champions are looking to secure a first title success since 2022 as they eye a place in the Twickenham Grand Final on June 14.
Tighthead Cole remains integral to that ambition and will remain available to Leicester before retiring when their season finishes, having spent almost 20 years at his local club after graduating through the academy and made 340 senior appearances across all competitions to date after initially spending time on loan at Beford and Nottingham.
Cole has also been a pivotal figure for England during his career, earning 118 international caps in total. One of only seven men’s players to reach that century mark to date, his appearance total is bettered only by long-time team-mate and podcast partner Ben Youngs (127), who retired from England duty after the 2023 World Cup and is also standing down from Leicester at the end of this season.
Cole also toured with the British & Irish Lions in both 2013 and 2017, making 14 appearances in total including all three Tests on the winning tour of Australia in 2013.
Also retiring this summer is Leicester’s former England full-back Mike Brown, as well as Harlequins’ ex-England scrum-half Danny Care - three players with almost 300 England caps between them.
Leicester are entering into a new era for next season as former England lock Geoff Parling prepares to replace Cheika, with club captain Julian Montoya also leaving.
“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,” said Cole, England’s most-capped men’s forward of all time after passing the great Jason Leonard.
“I believe, with Ben Youngs, Julian 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 20 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.
“This place means a lot to me,” Cole added. “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.”
Cole won four Premiership titles with Tigers in 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2022, while he was part of three Six Nations-winning teams with England in 2011, 2016 and 2017, winning the 2016 Grand Slam and also reaching the World Cup final in Japan in 2019.
