England scrum-half and Leicester number nine Harry Ellis has been forced to retire due to a succession of knee injuries.
Ellis severely injured his left knee last season. He had previously had reconstructive surgery on that knee in 2007.
After having a consultation with leading orthopaedic surgeon Andy Williams, it was decided that the best option for Ellis would be for him to retire from rugby.
“I was gutted and really upset when I found out and it took a while to get used to,” Ellis told the Leicester Mercury.
“It took a lot of soul-searching to decide to retire but when someone like Andy Williams says you should call it a day, you have to take his advice.
“It was a very hard decision to make, but it was also easy on the basis of what it had been doing to me.
“All last season I was taking a hell of a lot of painkillers and I was constantly having blood and fluid drained from my knee.
“As well as my rugby, there was also my health to think about. The amount of painkillers I was taking every day was causing my stomach real problems.
“I have had so many operations on my knee in the past that I knew it was time to retire.”
Twenty-eight year old Ellis played 173 times for Leicester in nine years, and earned 26 caps for his country.
