CHARLIE Sharples retired last week as a rarity in the modern game. He was a one club man, spending his entire career at Gloucester, the team he supported as a boy.
Sharples, one of the quickest wings seen in the Premiership, played 275 matches for Gloucester and won four England caps, straddling the Martin Johnson and Stuart Lancaster eras.
At the age of 32, he hoped he had another season in him but a succession of injuries meant his last match was against La Rochelle in the Champions Cup last April at an empty Kingsholm.
He recovered from the pec injury he sustained in that game, but a dislocated shoulder in a pre-season match against Bristol proved one setback too many.
“I have known for a while I would be retiring,” said Sharples, who made the announcement last week. “I always thought it would be my last contract, taking me to 15 years with the club, not bad for a wing.
“I felt I still had something to offer even though I was not a starter any more with so many great back three players at Kingsholm, but when I dislocated my shoulder as I was tackled scoring a try, I knew as I walked from the pitch that I was done.
“I had had enough of the cycle of injuries and rehab. I knew the shoulder would be fixed, but five months of rehab would follow and appreciating the emotional energy that would be needed for that, I felt it was the right time to retire. The club was supportive and we reached an agreement.”
Sharples was 14 when he joined Gloucester's academy and he says he will look back on his career with fond memories, not regrets.
“I might not have achieved everything I wanted, but I got close,” he told The Rugby Paper. “I have some amazing memories and through playing for Gloucester made a number of good friends. I never wanted to play anywhere else and only thought about it once.
“It was after I had been left out of the England squad and Gloucester were going through a rough time. I usually sorted out my contract situation very early, but this time there was no offer and I wondered, briefly, if I would have a better chance of playing for England somewhere else.
“Gloucester was always where I wanted to be. I may not have the winners medals of a Saracens or an Exeter player, but I spent my whole career at a club that means so much to me. That, in itself, is an achievement.”
Sharples did win two trophies, the LV= Cup and the European Challenge Cup, but it is only under George Skivington this season that Gloucester have looked a team capable of regularly challenging for the top four.
“There is still some work to do but solid foundations have been laid,” said Sharples, who has started a job as an adviser with Gemini Financial Planning in Cheltenham.
“All credit to George and his coaches. I have no regrets about anything, and while I hoped for more than four England caps, I was given the opportunity. That is all you can ask for and perhaps I did not make the most of it.
“When I started, teams operated drift defences and you had more space and involvement as a wing. Now there is a massive emphasis on defence and kicking. It is not a negative, just how the game has evolved, but I will not miss chasing 20 box kicks every game!”
