How former English Rugby stars spend their free time

Many former rugby internationals find the adjustment to life after retirement harder than supporters might think.

The rhythms of training, travel, and pressure once filled their calendar without any space. When the whistle stops, a gap opens.

What they choose to do with that gap varies. Some lean into business and media, some chase new sports, and others turn toward stillness and reflection.

Free time for a former professional is rarely idle. It becomes a new arena in which identity is rebuilt.

James Haskell

James Haskell is one of the most public examples of a player who has found a competitive outlet after leaving the sport.

His open interest in poker has been covered widely in interviews and podcasts.

He has played in televised formats and speaks often about how reading opponents, stress tolerance, and decision making gave him a familiar buzz that felt like match pressure without physical risk.

Haskell is far from alone among sports figures who gravitate towards online forms of competitive play.

Many high-profile athletes from football, cricket, and even Formula One have spoken about using online games as a way to decompress or maintain a sense of tactical sharpness without stepping onto grass.

This crossover into online platforms has helped fuel the wider popularity of slot sites online, which continue to gain traction partly due to celebrity association.

These platforms are praised by regular users for ease of access, fast load times, and the ability to play without large commitments of time or travel.

Well-known names discussing their digital habits always draw public interest, and it gives these platforms extra visibility without marketing.

For many users, the convenience and broad choice are the strongest selling points, and the association with athletes adds social proof without needing endorsements.

Away from that space, Haskell has also built a public life in broadcasting, writing, and stand-up shows.

He is an example of a rugby player who treats retirement as a second career stage rather than a quiet wind-down.

He spreads his time across several pursuits, none of which resemble the daily grind of his Test match days, yet all of which keep him stimulated and visible.

Lewis Moody

Not every retired England international takes the media route. Some chase physical thrills in new forms.

Lewis Moody once poured his energy into extreme endurance events and long-distance charity challenges.

However, the former national Captain has recently opened up about his tragic MND diagnosis.

Before this, his affinity for endurance sports gave him a familiar target structure with training blocks, milestones, and public accountability.

Other former players have taken up triathlon, martial arts, mountaineering, or ocean rowing. They identify with hardship and controlled risk, so they replace scrums and collisions with ordeals of another kind.

This urge to replace competition with fresh objectives is common. A player who has lived his adult life under deadlines and selection pressure rarely enjoys passive hobbies.

They need a stretch that feels earned. Even those with finance or corporate ventures often keep an outlet that mimics the chase of sport.

Surfing trips, off-road biking, golf tournaments abroad, and long-distance trekking fill calendars that once held test weeks.

Jonny Wilkinson

Jonny Wilkinson did not chase the media or high spectacle after retirement. He has spoken often about how his nervous system ran on fear and perfection for most of his career.

His free time now is built around quiet habits. Gardening, long walks, and slow domestic routines replaced adrenaline.

He has described the relief of reading, cooking, and sitting in stillness without a calendar of fixtures. This quiet is not a luxury for him but a correction after two decades of stress.

The home sphere became dominant once the travel ended. He prioritised time with family and reclaimed small pieces of life that Test rugby had erased.

School events, meals at normal hours, and holidays without media requests have given him a sense of normal time. The absence of scrutiny is part of the healing.

He is also known for deep wellness work. Breath practice, meditation, and internal disciplines shape his days.

He has said that mental repair is not optional for retired players with long-term pain or anxiety patterns built into the body. His free time is used as treatment as much as leisure.

Lawrence Dallaglio

Lawrence Dallaglio used his free time to stay linked to the sport without re-entering the weekly pressure loop.

He has spent time coaching and advising at youth and club levels, where he can transfer knowledge without living in a team hotel.

It gives him a route to shape the next wave while preserving his own schedule.

Charity has been central to his post-rugby life. His foundation has raised money for youth access to sport, bereavement support, and social programmes.

His name opens doors for causes that would struggle for airtime without that profile. For someone who won the biggest prizes, purpose now comes from building rather than competing.

Mentoring happens in quieter channels. Young players facing contract fear, injury shock, or identity loss often turn to older figures like him off record.

Conversations behind closed doors stop careers from imploding in silence.

For those who once chased medals, the work now is to keep other men steady when the spotlight moves on.