Kyle Amor announces immediate retirement, aged 35

Kyle Amor has announced his immediate retirement from the sport aged 35, ending his Widnes stint early due to injury. 

The Cumbrian-born prop forward stepped down from full-time rugby league to join John Kear’s Widnes in the Championship for the 2023 campaign.

He has played in 10 of the club’s 12 games so far this season. 

Widnes head of operations, Chris Hamilton, said: “Kyle has been struggling with shoulder and knee injuries and has been finding it increasingly hard to overcome them whilst meeting the needs of his Widnes commitments.

“He has sat down with me and John Kear and we have decided this is the right thing to do for both the club and Kyle himself.

“Kyle has been at the top level of the game for a long time and of course it is disappointing for his playing career to end this way, but we thank him for his efforts on behalf of the club and wish him well for the future.”

Amor added: “I would like to thank everyone involved at Widnes Vikings for welcoming me into this great club and thank them for their understanding and support.

“Unfortunately, in recent months I have found it incredibly difficult to manage my injuries and meet the demands of playing rugby at this level.

“After much deliberation, I have made the difficult decision to retire from the sport that I love.

“This is a decision that has not come lightly but I feel it is the right thing to do.

“The club is in a great place both on and off the field and I wish the Vikings all the success their with future endeavours.”

More on Kyle Amor

Amor won four Super League Grand Finals across his successful career with St Helens, as well as winning the Challenge Cup in 2021.

He also represented Ireland on five occasions, playing for his country at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.

The prop forward started his career with hometown club Whitehaven, playing 25 times in his debut year in 2009. He won the Championship Young Player of the Year away and earned a contract with Leeds for the 2010 season.

After a loan spell at Wakefield, he made the permanent move for the 2012 season where he remained for two years, making 79 appearances and scoring 11 tries under then-boss Kear.

He then joined St Helens in 2014, making more than 200 career appearances and winning Grand Finals in 2014, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

He finished his full-time career on loan at Warrington in 2022. 

Amor had planned to hang up the boots at the end of the year following a final appearance for Cumbria representative side, who are set to take on Wales at the LEL Arena in Whitehaven ahead of the European Championships campaign.

In recent years, he has also built a growing reputation as a pundit on TV, featuring on BBC, Channel 4 and Viaplay.

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