England and Tigers winger Watson retires on medical grounds

England and Leicester Tigers winger Anthony Watson has retired from professional rugby union on medical grounds.

The 30-year-old made the last appearance of his career in December and played just seven times for Tigers over the past two seasons because of a multitude of injuries.

A calf injury forced Watson to miss last year's World Cup, while the latest in a succession of Achilles issues and a back problem that required surgery limited him to just two games for Leicester last term.

Watson spoke to BBC Radio Leicester in October about concentrating on playing "pain-free" for Leicester again and that he had no immediate focus on an England recall after enduring a "horrendous road" to recovery.