Archie Vanes made history as the first Leicester Tigers player to score a hat-trick on his European debut – a fairytale start that promised a rapid rise. But just a few years later, he found himself fighting for game time and enjoyment in the sport he once dreamed of. Now at Worcester Warriors, he reflects on confidence, setbacks and what it really means to recover in professional rugby. 

When Tigers come calling, you answer. If only the rest of the story was that simple. 

Professional rugby player Archie Vanes speaks about the immense pressure he was under at only 15-years-old. 

“People made sacrifices for me,” Vanes says.”Which led to guilt because I felt like I’d let them down.”

“I wasn’t playing to my potential because of the pressure I was putting on myself. My confidence was low. You play your best rugby when you’re enjoying it.” 

After being released from the Leicester Tigers academy, Vanes was invited back for pre-season training the following summer.

“All the pressure I felt before wasn’t as intense this time round,” he says. “The worst thing that could happen was to get dropped again. I knew I could get through it.”

Early promise and early setbacks 

In August 2019, Vanes was named in the England U18 squad to face Argentina. After a strong debut, he played against France – a match that would bring his first major injury setback. 

“My foot was stuck in the ground and I twisted my body. When I took the hit, I felt my knee rip.” 

Archie suffered an ACL Grade 2 and MCL Grade 3 injury, one of the worst injuries an athlete can face.

“I was sitting in the medical tent and I could hear players around me saying it could be career ending. As an 18 year old, you start thinking, ‘it could be it for me here.’”

“I was naive. I always presumed I’d be back. I knew that the best way to get through a setback is to put in hard work to get through it. If you see it as ‘time off’, it shifts your mindset, and the injury can start to affect you mentally.”

For Vanes, recovery became something more active than rest. He reframed it as work – rebuilding, not waiting. 

Instead of his body being tackled to the ground everyday, he was rebuilding strength, movement and confidence. 

The six-month rehab process was smooth, making the mental recovery easier.

Back into the system

On his return, Vanes was named co-captain for the 2019/20 season and went on to win the league again at academy level. 

He began training with the senior squad, but COVID restrictions disrupted his transition into first-team rugby. Still, progress continued.

In November 2021, he made his senior debut for Leicester against Sale Sharks, coming on as a late replacement in a 32–23 win. But it wasn’t the moment he had imagined. 

“We were comfortably winning, and in the 79th minute, I got brought on. Don’t get me wrong, it was great to make my senior debut, but it really wasn’t the way I’d planned it. It was a bit underwhelming really,” Vans says. 

During this period, Vanes saw himself as a ‘shadow player’ – part of the squad, but rarely central to it. 

Breakthrough form 

A loan move to Nottingham during the U20 Six Nations proved pivotal. He impressed immediately and was named Young Player of the Season.

“I learnt so much from that season,” he says. “It allowed me to adapt to the sort of physicality you can’t experience from youth rugby.”

That experience became the foundation for what came next.

Hat-trick history 

The next season proved pivotal for Archie’s career. After two England U20 camps and a year in the Championship, Vanes was selected for his European debut against Stade Francais. 

He made history as the first Leicester Tigers player to score a hat-trick on his European debut. It felt like a breakthrough moment – but it was quickly followed by frustration. 

Vanes suffered an acute concussion in the match meaning it wasn’t the swiftest of recoveries. It came at the worst possible time for the rising star. 

“After the game I threw up,” he says. “I felt a bit out of it. I had some delayed symptoms of concussion, so obviously I couldn’t play. I went from getting man of the match, playing the best game of my life, to being back on the bench. That really frustrated me.”

Frustration and doubt

Credit: Nick B Images

Vanes describes January 2024 as a turning point in his Leicester career. 

“I was starting to be treated differently after that European game – in a positive way – then, a month later I was told I was sulking and had a bad attitude. I was just frustrated that I wasn’t playing.”

Archie had found a new obstacle that he needed to overcome, something that he hadn’t recovered from before. That obstacle was doubt. He hadn’t directly suffered from team selection until now.

“There was one week where I’d checked in with the head coach to make sure he thought I was training well. He’d said I’m all good, but then by the end of the week I had other coaches telling me that I had an attitude problem.

“I felt like people were being false with me. I was really pissed off with the club at that time. I’m so happy that I’m not there anymore,” Vanes says. 

He requested an early release from his contract, which was denied. After that, he made just seven more appearances for Leicester.

“They were keeping me around if an injury occurred, but I’m 24 now, I want to be playing every week. I needed a fresh start.”

Falling out of love with the Tigers

He no longer watches Leicester Tigers as a fan, simply because his friends play there.

Vanes was forced to recover from falling out of love with his own club, and he mentioned he wasn’t the only player to go through this. He was a boyhood fan, yet his relationship with the club turned sour.

“When I was younger, it was easier to ‘accept the shit’ because I thought it would all pay off. I guess what’s difficult for me is that I don’t think it ever did.” 

Rebuilding at Worcester

Vanes signed for Worcester Warriors on 29 May 2025, taking a step down to the Championship. But he sees it as progression, not decline.

“I could have joined another Premiership club during that time, but it probably would have landed me in the exact same position,” he says. “I could have ended up hating rugby even more, and that could have been the last straw for me.”

Soon after joining Worcester, he broke his scaphoid – one of the slowest healing bones in the body. What could have been a six-week rehab process, soon turned into twelve. 

“I remember I could have cried when I found out they weren’t letting me train. I was so angry. I was so excited to play my first game for the club. I didn’t have motivation for anything. It was like my younger days all over again, one step forward, two steps back.”  

The club recognised that Vanes wasn’t himself, so they allowed him to take some time away from rugby, which was a crucial part of Vanes’ mental comeback. He felt grateful that the club had given him the opportunity to do that, and it wasn’t something he was used to.

“Be resilient,” Vanes says. “For every person that tells you no, there is always someone else that will tell you yes. I needed to get to know myself as a player, really.

“Setbacks will always happen, so it’s important to ensure you have that support network. There is always someone better, so you have to make sure you are outworking everyone else, and that’s how you improve.”