Rugby

Ex-England prop Paul Rendall dies aged 69 after motor neuron disease battle

Wasps stalwart won 28 caps in a Test career lasting from 1984 to 1991

Paul Rendall (right) scrums down with England frontrow colleagues Brian Moore (centre) and Gareth Chilcott (left) in 1998. Photograph: Russell Cheyne/Allsport

Tue Jun 13 2023 - 15:41

Former England prop Paul Rendall has died aged 69 following a battle with motor neuron disease.

Rendall won 28 caps in a Test career lasting from 1984 to 1991, playing his final game in a World Cup pool match against Italy, after which he was struck down by an Achilles injury.

Nicknamed ‘The Judge’ because of his role as fines master when on tour, the loose head came to international rugby late after making his debut against Wales as a 30-year-old.

He played in a fearsome frontrow completed by Brian Moore and Jeff Probyn before being squeezed out by the emergence of Jason Leonard.

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“We lost Paul Rendall ‘The Judge’ today,” said Rendall’s last England captain Will Carling on Twitter.

“The man quietly taught a young captain the importance of enjoying life! He was a master. He was also genuine, kind, loyal and tough. A lovely man.”

The Wasps stalwart, who went on to become head coach and director of rugby at Bracknell RFC, was diagnosed with motor neuron disease last year.

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