Strettle made his start in rugby with Lymm, before being picked up by Rotherham. In his youth he was a talented footballer but made his name with the Titans first in the Premiership and then in National One before moving to Harlequins in 2006.

His quick feet and electric pace have seen him likened to England great David Duckham and he made his Test debut for England in February 2007 against Ireland at Croke Park, scoring a try in a heavy defeat.

However, his international ambitions have often been disrupted by injuries, including one against Wales in the opening game of the 2008 Six Nations. He did tour New Zealand with England later in 2008 but was cautioned by the RFU for his part in a tabloid sex scandal.

After returning from injury with Quins in the 2009-10 season it was announced that he would be joining their rivals Saracens from the 2010-11 season. He made a fine start to his Sarries career, scoring a try on his debut as a second-half subtitute in a win over Sale Sharks. Strettle struck again in his first start for his new club, against Leeds Carnegie the following weekend.

Strettle's first season with Saracens proved to be remarkable as the Watford based side lifted the Aviva Premiership title against Leicester Tigers in May 2011. In June, Strettle was named in Martin Johnson's 45-man training squad for the Rugby World Cup.

Strettle failed to make the cut but started the 2011-12 season in good form for Sarries. And following his match-winning try against Quins in their record-breaking clash at Twickenham, Strettle was showing signs of being back to his previous best and earned a call up to the England Six Nations squad. The winger made a solid contribution but also endured controversy as a late try was ruled out against Wales in a 19-12 defeat.

Strettle, despite not scoring for England during the 2012 campaign, kept his place in the squad for their tour to South Africa.