England Rugby World Cup-winner Abby Dow has quit the professional game aged 28 to focus on her engineering career, the Rugby Football Union said on Wednesday.
Winger Dow, who has 59 test caps and 50 tries for England since her international debut in 2017, has won seven Six Nations titles as well as this year’s Rugby World Cup.
“Rugby has been central to my life and has shaped me into who I am today. However, I feel the pull of my other passion – engineering – so I have decided to hang up my boots and try my luck in a different world,” Dow said in a statement shared by the RFU.
England coach John Mitchell said the team will miss Dow.
“I personally believe that we are losing arguably the best right winger in world rugby at the peak of her powers,” Mitchell added.
Dow’s retirement comes a month after England great Emily Scarratt, who holds the record for scoring the most points for the national team, retired at the age of 35.
