Wales international Cory Allen has announced his retirement from rugby at the age of 29.
The centre played for Cardiff, Ospreys and Dragons during his career, winning six caps for his country - including scoring a hat-trick of tries against Uruguay in the 2015 World Cup.
Injuries blighted his career, with a major knee problem curtailing his time at the Ospreys and further setbacks hindering him in Gwent. He joined the Dragons in 2021, but retires having not played a game for them.
“I'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone at the Dragons for the last 18 months,” said Allen.
“Firstly, to the management for showing the amount of faith and trust in me that they did and giving me every opportunity to get back to playing is something I will be immensely grateful for.
“Secondly, the players for making it such an enjoyable place to come to work. There were obviously a lot of really low points during the setbacks but having such an enjoyable place to come to work really made such a massive difference.
“Lastly, the physio department and, in particular, Ben Stirling. The number of hours he invested in me on the physio bed, in the gym and travelling all over the U.K to see specialists. He truly went above and beyond to get me to where I am today, to a place where I can walk again pain free, something I really wasn’t sure I’d be able to do again. So, I can’t thank him enough for that.
“I really would have loved to have thanked everyone by being able to run out and represent the club on the field, but unfortunately that wasn’t meant to be.
“I wish everyone at the club the best in the future, and I’m sure with the trajectory they’re on and with the amount of improvements I’ve seen in my time there, more positive things are just around the corner.”
Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan said: "I've known Cory for quite a few years as a person and he's a fantastic rugby guy.
"The experience and knowledge he's offered in meetings has made him an asset for the Dragons in the time he's been here, with the work he's done and how he's developed some of the youngsters. He's worked his tail off to try get back playing, but unfortunately it just hasn't happened for him."
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