My stint at the Scarlets rekindled my rugby spark, says Ryan Lamb

RYAN Lamb insists his short spell with the Scarlets saw him fall back in love with rugby and reinvigorate his passion for a career in coaching.

The ex-England Saxons fly-half, 33, announced his retirement from playing last week following a brief stint in west Wales but hopes to stay in the game.

He said: “Not a lot of people play professional rugby for 17 years so I’m quite happy with how my career has gone. I’ve been lucky to travel the world and play the game I’ve loved since I was a lad.

“I had a good first season in France with La Rochelle, but my second season there wasn’t great. I was in and out of the team and I sort of fell out of love with rugby.

“I thought it was time to finish, but then the Scarlets came along and they really made me fall back in love with the game. I did a lot of mentoring with the young fly-halves when I was there which I really enjoyed.

“There were a few opportunities to go and coach in the Championship while there were also a couple of academy coaching jobs in the Premiership. So we’ll have to see what happens over the next few months, but I’d love to stay involved in rugby.”

After starting his career at Gloucester, Lamb had stints at London Irish, Northampton, Leicester and Worcester before heading to France.

Despite being involved in numerous England training camps, a senior Test cap eluded him.

He said: “I was involved in quite a few England camps and played for the Saxons. It was a really tough environment and I was competing with some world class players like Jonny Wilkinson.

“When I was there it was very military and a tough environment for me to express myself in.”

For now Lamb is running a cafe in Gloucester and helping the vulnerable during the ongoing global health crisis.

He said: “My wife Danielle and I posted letters in the local area saying if anybody needed some help then we’d be available. It’s just nice for people to know they’ve got somebody to depend on if their loved ones need anything.”

STEFFAN THOMAS