Andy Goode retires

Andy Goode retires.

What a player, always enjoyed watching him play.

BBC:

Former England fly-half Andy Goode is to retire after failing to recover from persistent injuries.
Goode, 35, played 17 Tests for his country and joined London Irish in the summer after leaving Wasps.

The former Leicester, Saracens and Worcester back is the second highest points-scorer in Premiership history.
"I can honestly say I've loved playing for every team and I feel immensely proud to have achieved what I have at each club," he said.

Goode joined Irish with the intention of playing one more season in the Premiership and Europe.
But, following consultations with the club's medical staff and his own physician, he will call time on his playing career and leave the Exiles.
"I'm really disappointed I can't continue my career at London Irish and I've really enjoyed my short period with them," Goode said.
During his first spell with Leicester, he was part of the side which won four successive Premiership titles and the European Cup twice.
He also spent time playing for South African Super Rugby side the Sharks and with Brive in France's Top 14.

Andy was a cracking player. Oft maligned for his weight etc...it never affected his performances for Leicester during their dominant years.

I don't think theres many teams that wouldn't mind having a bang in his prime Andy Goode at 10 for them.

A fantastic 10. His kicking was obviously excellent from the tee and hand. His 'vision' however was also amongst the best I've seen. He didn't have the pace to make a 40 yard break but his ability to put others into space and work a defence around the pitch to create that space was brilliant.

He also scored a fair few trys from near out when defences starting drifting too early and underestimated the strength of a prop shaped fly half on the crash ball!

In his time at Leicester one bit of work that always stands out for me came when we were attacking just inside the oppositions 22. Goode was passed the ball at 10 and shaped to kick cross field to his left winger. The full back drifted out wide expecting what most of us watching did. Then Goode put the ball of the outside of his boot, almost at right angles to where he was facing, and the right winger, Varndell I think, came flying off his wing to claim the ball on the full and score almost under the post. It was a great premeditated team move, excecuted perfectly at pace to wrong foot and out think the opposition.

A cracking career and also a big blow for London Irish whose very good recruitment over the summer now looks far less complete all of a sudden.

A sad bit of news, I was always a big fan of goode. Wonderful flyhalf for Leicester, never quite good enough for England if we're honest, but four Jeff titles is a good haul.

I also like the fact he played in south Africa, I think more club plsyers should sample southern hemisphere rugby (well done Haskell for instance!)

Good luck for the future Andy, a proprtly underrated flyhalf.

screamingaddabs wrote:A sad bit of news, I was always a big fan of goode. Wonderful flyhalf for Leicester, never quite good enough for England if we're honest, but four Jeff titles is a good haul.

I also like the fact he played in south Africa,  I think more club plsyers should sample southern hemisphere rugby (well done Haskell for instance!)

Good luck for the future Andy,  a proprtly underrated flyhalf.

Agree. And well put.

king_carlos wrote:
A cracking career and also a big blow for London Irish whose very good recruitment over the summer now looks far less complete all of a sudden.

As an Irish fan I agree with this completely. Bob Casey outlined the need for an 80% goal-kicker as more or less the final piece in our recruitment jigsaw for this summer. We have now lost that piece and although we have signed some top players, it is pretty disappointing.

His problem was the off days. The high risk kicking game was a huge weapon when it came off, but he went through a phase of it going wrong too often. If it hadnt been for the salary cap he mightve (shouldve) been retained by Tigers.

Took far too much stick and I think really proved a point by prolonging his career and being one of the best fly halves in the Jeff. Sad end to a great career, as he says his haul of silverware says it all.

Big respect for goode, Cardiff could have done with someone of his calibre when robinson left for Gloucester.

Instead we went for Sam Norton-knight