Dual-code All Blacks star Brad Thorn to retire at end of season, aged 40
New Zealand World Cup-winning lock turned Leicester captain Brad Thorn is to retire at the end of the English season, at the age of 40.
New Zealand World Cup-winning lock turned Leicester captain Brad Thorn is to retire at the end of the English season, he said Wednesday.
Thorn, 40, originally made his name in rugby league and won eight caps in the 13-man game for Australia, while winning several National Rugby League titles with the Brisbane Broncos.
But the New Zealand-born Thorn then made the switch to rugby union before returning to league, only to cross codes again in 2008.
My goal was to play top-level rugby at 40 and to play well, and I’ve done that
In all, he won 50 caps for the All Blacks and was a key member of the New Zealand side who won the 2011 Rugby World Cup on home soil.
His impressive union career also saw Thorn win several Tri-Nations titles with New Zealand, the 2008 Super Rugby title with the Canterbury Crusaders and the 2012 European Cup crown with Irish outfit Leinster.
Now he aims to finish his career by helping English giants Leicester lift the Premiership trophy.
“My goal was to play top-level rugby at 40 and to play well, and I’ve done that,” Thorn told BBC Radio Leicester on Wednesday.