Former England player Billy Twelvetrees announces retirement

Ealing Trailfinders have announced that former England international Billy Twelvetrees will retire from professional rugby.

Twelvetrees was part of the Championship winning squad of Ealing last season in which he made 18 appearances scoring two tries and 46 points from the boot.

The 35-year-old's professional rugby career started with Bedford Blues in 2009 after which he joined Leicester Tigers. On his maiden season with the Tigers, he went on to win the Premiership.

He spent most of his career with Gloucester having featured for them between 2012 and 2023 racking up 270 appearances for them across 11 seasons after which he joined Ealing in 2023.

Twelvetrees also represented England in 22 Tests between 2013 and 2015. He was also included in the British and Irish Lions squad for the 2013 tour of Australia by head coach Warren Gatland.

“Although we only had Billy with us for a year, he made a big impact on our squad," said Ealing director of rugby Ben Ward.

"His career speaks for itself and he can be incredibly proud of all that he has achieved. We will miss him as a player, but more than that, he is one of the good guys and a really good bloke that we will miss even more. We wish him all the best for the future.”