I was an England Rugby World Cup winner – now I’m a full-time farmer with 600 sheep… everyone thinks I’m a millionaire
A FORMER England Rugby World Cup winner now lives a totally unrecognisable life as a full-time farmer.
Julian White MBE, 51, once dominated sports fields with spectacular wins but now gives his time to his 600 sheep and 90 cows.
Julian reached sporting highs when he won the 2003 Rugby World Cup with his England team.
The icon was also known for his roles scrummaging in the front row for Leicester Tigers.
More than two decades after his huge win, Julian has left it behind to tend to his magnificent Crabtree Farm, in Leicestershire.
The former star revealed he started his beloved farm in 2006, towards the end of his time playing rugby in Leicester, he told The Telegraph.
He runs his Midlands plot with his wife Sara and their three kids.
He said: “It was fantastic at Leicester but I started thinking about life after rugby.
“I rented a field, had a few sheep. And if you just have one thing to focus on – just rugby – it’s not healthy.”
Julian shared how people assume he is able to splash millions of pounds in cash, but he revealed this is far from the truth.
The former athlete revealed how some other farmers have misunderstood how his sporting past has affected his current life.
Julian said: “A lot of them are quite cagey.
“And, because I was a rugby player, they have this bizarre idea that I’m some sort of multi-millionaire, but I’m nowhere near that.”
The rugby pro revealed he loved his farm but shared that life was not all rosy in his new career.
Money, extreme weather, and experience were all hurdles to creating and running his beloved farm.
He said: “There have been huge setbacks.
“We had the ‘Beast from the East’ during lambing season and suddenly all my lambs were frozen in the pens, stuff like that.
“You were struggling to break even anyway and then you have that to deal with. Floods. It can be an absolute b***ard.”
Despite these difficulties, Julian has carried on his title-winning theme from his old career.
He has won multiple national awards for his cattle and has opened up his farm gates to visitors.
He shared how much he loves his current ever-demanding job.
Julian said: “I don’t want to sound like one of these moany farmers. I love what I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be doing it.”