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Oyonnax's Kiwi full-back Tony Ensor has retired with immediate effect
By Liam Heagney
Former Highlanders full-back Tony Ensor has retired with immediate effect following an injury picked up in a Top 14 match in August with Oyonnax, the French club he joined in 2019 after an initial two years with Stade Francais.
A club statement read: “It is with great emotion that we announce the end of the career of our full-back Tony Ensor, effective immediately.
“The 32-year-old New Zealander suffered a concussion during the match at Stade Francais at the end of August and has not returned to the pitch since. Tony is forced to end his career for medical reasons. Touched by this sudden news, Oyonnax Rugby intends to remain close to the player who will be accompanied by his family in the coming months.
“Trained in Otago, passed by the Highlanders in Super Rugby, it was in Paris that he made his debut in France in 2017. Arrived in Haut-Bugey in 2019, he wore the Oyonnax tunic for five years, playing 63 games and scoring 11 tries, winning the title of champion of France PRO D2 in 2023, showing all his speed and technique over the seasons.
“This announcement is intended to serve as a reminder of the club's commitment to the prevention and monitoring of concussions in rugby.
“For example, the referent doctor Olivier Rajon has been trained on the dietary monitoring of players – to support the group as much as possible – because it has been shown that food supplements can promote recovery after a concussion.
“In addition, players will now benefit from a cooling helmet, which will limit the consequences of the trauma related to the concussion, as soon as a concussion is diagnosed. More than ever, Oyonnax Rugby supports Tony and wishes him all the best for the future.”
Oyonnax manager Joe El Abd added: “Tony will remain in support of the group, safe and off the pitch. Even though he can't play anymore, we still consider him a full member of the group.”
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Latest Comments
Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
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