Martin Corry ended his 10th season as a Leicester Tigers player by captaining the team in three grand finals and lifting the Guinness Premiership and EDF Energy Cup – the first Double of the game’s professional era.

 

Martin Corry followed that remarkable season by going to his third Rugby World Cup with England and led the team as captain in the crucial pool games which resulted in qualification for the knockout stages. After being written off by everyone, Martin and his England colleagues beat Australia in the 1/4 finals and France in the semi-finals. The dream was finally ended when England narrowly lost to South Africa in the final.

 

Since making his Tigers debut in August 1997, Martin has won five Premiership titles, a Premiership Championship, two Heineken European Cups and an Anglo-Welsh Cup after earlier spells with Bristol and Newcastle Gosforth.

 

Martin Corry has won 64 caps for England, including being a member of the World Cup-winning squad in 2003, Runner-up in 2007 World Cup and has toured Australia and New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions.

 

Those two Lions tours earned Martin six Test caps – a remarkable achievement in two three-Test series, especially considering he was only called up to the 2001 tour as a late replacement shortly before the first match against the Wallabies.

 

Supporters’ Player of the Season at Leicester in 1999/2000, Corry also picked up the Premiership and Professional Rugby Players’ Association Player of the Season awards in 2004/05. Martin was short-listed for the Guinness Premiership Player of the Year prize again in 2006/07 when the trophy was won by club-mate Martin Castrogiovanni.

 

Awarded an MBE in the 2004 New Year’s Honours, Martin Corry is widely regarded as one of the most consistent players in the English game and definitely a man to have on your side when the going gets tough.