Henry Taylor: Northampton Saints scrum-half retires to 'pursue new career'

Henry Taylor was mostly used as a substitute by Northampton last season

Northampton Saints scrum-half Henry Taylor is to retire from rugby union.

The 27-year-old made 33 appearances in two years with the club but will now "pursue a career in the city".

Taylor, part of the England side that won the World Under-20 Championship in 2014, has also played for Loughborough Students, Bedford and Saracens.

"I've been lucky enough to make some amazing memories at Saints and throughout my entire time playing rugby," he said.

"But now is the right time for me to try my hand at something new and I'm really excited about this new opportunity I've been given to pursue a new career path outside of rugby."

Saints have signed former Bath scrum-half Chris Cook as injury cover on a "short-term" contract, with the 30-year-old having left Bristol last week.

"He's a scrum-half with a lot of Premiership experience - he's shown he can perform at the top level and will add depth and quality to the group we already have," said director of rugby Chris Boyd.