Rugby legend Sinfield to hang up his boots

BIDDING farewell to the game . . . Kevin Sinfield

OLDHAM-born Kevin Sinfield has announced he will retire from all forms of rugby at the end of the current rugby union season in May.

The former Leeds and England rugby league captain, who turns 36 in September, switched codes with the Rhinos’ sister club Yorkshire Carnegie last November and ha 12 months left on his contract.

However, Sinfield, who played his junior rugby league at Waterhead, announced at a press conference at Headingley his intention to hang up his boots after receiving several job offers.

Sinfield said: “I have been privileged and deeply honoured to have enjoyed a 20-year career as a professional rugby player and to retire on my own terms rather than through injury is something I feel lucky to be able to do.

“I have always said that some day I will need to get a proper job and that day has now come.

Decision

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the last seven months with Yorkshire Carnegie and I’d like to thank the coaches, players and supporters for making me feel so welcome.

“I have always given total commitment to every team I have ever played in and, therefore, I have decided to hang up my boots at the end of this season.

“A number of opportunities have become available to me for life after rugby and I need to make the right decision.

“However, we have got hopefully four massive games ahead of us, starting this Sunday against a very good Doncaster side at Headingley Carnegie.”

Sinfield took up his new sport after guiding the Rhinos to a treble at Old Trafford in October.

Yorkshire Carnegie head coach Bryan Redpath said: “It has been great to have Kevin involved in our squad, especially for the large number of young players in our group. He is a total professional and the example he sets is something all young players can aspire to. He had an incredible career in rugby league and it has been great for us to have him finish his career as a Yorkshire Carnegie player.

“He is a natural winner and that attitude and drive will be more important than ever for us as we head into the play-offs looking to book our return to the Aviva Premiership.”

Despite missing the start of the season, Sinfield is the leading scorer for Carnegie with 177 points in his 14 appearances so far. He helped the team reach the final of the B&I Cup and a third-place finish in the Greene King IPA Championship. Carnegie will play Doncaster in a two-legged semi-final, with the winners progressing to the two-legged final to contest promotion to the Aviva Premiership.

Victories

Sinfield will be hoping to bow out of rugby union on a high, just as he did in rugby league, in which he left an indelible mark.

In his glittering 19-season professional career in rugby league, Sinfield led Leeds to seven Grand Final victories, back-to-back Challenge Cup triumphs and three World Club Challenge successes.

He scored 3,967 points in 521 appearances for Leeds and won 40 caps for England and Great Britain, captaining his country in the 2013 World Cup, while his career total of 4,231 points, from 569 matches, puts him third in the all-time list, behind Neil Fox and Jim Sullivan.

Sinfield, who won the 2012 Golden Boot, remains England’s highest points scorer and currently holds the Super League records for most appearances, goals and points.

He was awarded an MBE in the 2014 Queens’ Birthday Honours and was runner-up to Andy Murray in the BBC Sports Personality Awards last December.