1
Scotland scrum-half Scott Steele forced to retire aged 30
By Josh Raisey
Former Scotland and Edinburgh scrum-half Scott Steele has announced his retirement from rugby at the age of 30.
ADVERTISEMENT
The four-cap Scotland international has decided to hang up his boots after having his third hip operation.
Steele joined Edinburgh at the beginning of the season from Harlequins, but has failed to play a minute of rugby due to his latest hip issue.
The scrum-half had represented Leicester Tigers and London Irish prior to his move to Harlequins. During his time at the Stoop he earned his first Scotland cap against Wales in October 2020.
He went on to earn three more caps, including an appearance off the bench in Scotland’s first win against England at Twickenham in 38 years in 2021.
A statement released by Steele reads: “After three years of battling with injuries and whilst currently recovering from my third hip operation, I’ve decided to retire from professional rugby at the end of this season.
“My career has way exceeded any expectations I first had when it all started at my local rugby club Dumfries Saints. To go on and represent such prestigious clubs as Leicester Tigers, London Irish, Harlequins and to get capped for Scotland four times is something I’m extremely proud of.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Thank you to my family and close friends for their support which gave me the belief to chase my dream job and stick at it for 13 long years. Thank you to all the coaches and support staff at all the teams I’ve been involved with. Thanks to the various medical teams for looking after me and for getting me back onto the picth.
“To the loyal fans of the teams I’ve represented, I cannot thank you enough. Huge thank you to everyone at Edinburgh Rugby who have been great during my extremely frustrating season with them.
“Finally, thanks to all my teammates over the years. You are the reason I gave my absolute all every time I took the field and you are the reason why I’ve enjoyed the last 13 years so much.”
