Sherwin Stowers announces his retirement

All Black 7s stalwart Sherwin Stowers has today announced his retirement from professional rugby after a prominent career for the All Blacks Sevens and Counties Manukau Steelers.

Stowers debuted for New Zealand as an 18-year-old in Dubai in 2004. Since then he has made 38 tournament appearances and scored 126 tries, the fourth-most by any New Zealand player. Stowers has four World Series victories, Commonwealth Games gold and silver medals and a World Rugby Sevens World Cup title to his name.

Stowers said after achieving so much in his rugby career, the time was right to turn his focus to home.

“I decided that after nine seasons with the All Blacks Sevens team it’s time to retire and focus on my family, and being a dad.

“With two young kids at home I wasn’t able to give as much to them as I would have liked between training, recovery, camps and travel. I would be doing the team an injustice if I kept playing without giving 110 per cent which I have always strived to do.”

Stowers has been enjoying time at home with his family since the last leg of the World Sevens Series; next year he will work towards gaining primary school teachers registration, working at a school local to his Papatoetoe home.

Stowers said despite hanging up his boots, he has no doubt that he will remain involved in the game of rugby.

“I have gained so much out of rugby that I will be re-paying the favour for sure. I will encourage my kids to play and get involved coaching them, but in the meantime the focus will be on my teaching.”

New Zealand Rugby’s General Manager of Rugby Neil Sorensen said Stowers had been a fantastic servant to the sevens game.

“Sherwin always brought incredibly high standards into our sevens programme and was a great leader because of that.

“He has enjoyed some great success over his career, in what was a very memorable era for the All Blacks Sevens team.

“It is always sad to see players like Sherwin finish up, but we have great respect for his decision to put his family first. We are very excited for him as he pursues a completely different profession, and we know he’ll be a super star in the classroom.”

Outside of Sevens, Stowers played 78 matches for the Counties Manukau Steelers and he has 18 caps for the Blues in Super Rugby.