Leanne Infante: England and Saracens scrum-half to retire aged 31

Former England scrum-half Leanne Infante said it “hurt” when she was frozen out by the national side as she announced her retirement from professional rugby.

The 31-year-old Saracens player won three Six Nations titles with the Red Roses but has not been selected since the World Cup in 2022.

In an exclusive interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Infante said she had not had any conversations with selectors.

“They’ve made it pretty clear I’m not part of their future plans so I kind of let go of that a long time ago,” Infante, nee Riley, said.

In an 11-year career, Infante won the Women’s Premiership with Aylesbury Bulls in 2017, before the club was taken over by Harlequins, and then won the Premier 15s with Quins in 2021.

Infante made her international debut against South Africa in 2013 and went on to earn 57 caps.

“The reality is professional sport is cruel, there’s not many people who get to retire on their own terms internationally,” Infante said.

“It hurt for a while and there were peaks and troughs between that time period.

“I thought I was over it and then I’d take a backward step, but that’s all probably far in the past now and I can talk about it openly and non-emotionally.”