Chris Ashton to retire from professional rugby

Chris Ashton will retire at the conclusion of the 2022/23 season after an 18-year career as a professional in both rugby union and rugby league.

The Leicester Tigers outside-back has, to date, made 25 appearances for the club after joining midway through the 2021/22 campaign.

Prior to joining Tigers, Ashton played for Wigan Warriors (rugby league) and Northampton Saints, Saracens, Toulon, Sale Sharks, Harlequins and Worcester Warriors (rugby union), as well as representing England in both codes and the Barbarians.

One of the most prolific try-scorers in the history of rugby union, Ashton is the record try-scorer in the Gallagher Premiership (98) and Heineken Champions Cup (41) competitions.

To date, he has won three Premierships, two Heineken Champions Cups and one European Challenge Cup.

His professional career began in 2005 when he debuted for Wigan, as an 18-year-old, and scored two tries in his first appearance.

Ashton made more than 50 appearances for the Super League club, and represented England in rugby league, before switching to rugby union to join Northampton.

In 2010, he made his England Rugby Test debut and went on to represent his country on 44 occasions, scoring 20 international tries.

He spent five seasons with Saints before moving to Saracens, where he spent a further five years and was part of two Premiership and one European Cup winning campaigns.

In 2017, Ashton joined Toulon and, during his lone year in France, he broke the record for tries scored in a single season with 24 tries in 23 appearances.

He returned to England in 2018 to join Sale before stints with Harlequins and Worcester ahead of joining Tigers in February 2022.

In his time at Tigers so far, he has scored 10 tries in 25 appearances and started on the wing in the 2021/22 Gallagher Premiership Final win over his former club Saracens at Twickenham.