England Rugby World Cup winner Abby Dow announces retirement

The Red Roses wing made 59 international appearances and retires aged 28

England's Abby Row has announced her retirement from professional rugby (REUTERS)

Rugby World Cup winner Abby Dow has announced her retirement from professional rugby at the age of 28.

Dow decided to call time on her career following a highly successful 2025 in which she was part of the Red Roses side that won the World Cup on English soil.

The winger earned 59 international caps over an eight-year career with England, scoring 50 tries and amassing an incredible 245 points. Alongside her World Cup winners medal, Dow also won seven Six Nations titles - including six Grand Slams - two WXV1 triumphs.

Quite fittingly, Dow made her England debut against Canada in 2017 - where she scored twice - and her final appearance for the Red Roses came against the same opponents in the World Cup final in front of a record breaking crowd of 81,885 people at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

Having departed the professional rugby stage as a proven champion, Dow will now pursue a career in engineering which she calls her ‘other passion’.

Announcing her retirement Dow said: “I never realised when I picked up a rugby ball at the age of five that I was at the start of a 23-year sporting career.

“Rugby has been central to my life and has shaped me into who I am today. However, I feel the pull of my other passion – engineering - so I have decided to hang up my boots and try my luck in a different world.

“The rugby family has given much more that I could ever give back. I would like to thank my coaches, family, friends, and most importantly, the fans. They have enabled me to participate in something truly wonderful. I feel very privileged and humble.

“Today, I leave rugby as a player and join as its number one fan. Thank you all!”

Abby Dow (second from left) celebrates winning the Rugby World Cup in 2025 (Getty Images)

Dow’s passion for rugby began at five-years-old and she progessed through Maidenhead RFC and Reading RFC before beginning her professional career at Wasps in 2017. She impressed with her pace, power and instinctive finishing which saw her score eight tries in her first six England caps.

At the same time, she achieved a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London and inspired developed a love for crochet. Dow’s record stands for itself and she will go down as one of England’s most creative players in history.

Dow scored her 50th, and final, England try in this summer's Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Scotland (Getty Images)

Red Roses head coach John Mitchell said: “Abby is an awesome individual and a fierce competitor who lifts those around her. She is intelligent, insightful and inquisitive – attributes that have defined the brilliant Red Rose she has been across her 59 caps.

“Abby has been part of an era for the Red Roses in which the game has grown exponentially and, through her love of crochet, her interaction with supporters and her undoubted rugby ability, she has helped drive the women’s game to unprecedented heights.

“I personally believe that we are losing arguably the best right winger in world rugby at the peak of her powers, but we fully respect her decision to move on to a new chapter. We will miss having her in our environment, and we look forward to seeing her succeed - as we know she will - in whatever she chooses to do next.”