George Chuter, the Leicester hooker and England 2007 World Cup finalist, on Monday announced his immediate retirement from professional rugby.
The 37-year-old is the first player to make 250 Premiership appearances, going on to line up in 292 first-team games in 13 seasons with Leicester.
He has played in seven Premiership finals at Twickenham, a record he shares with former Tigers club captain Geordan Murphy.
Chuter has been a part of a Leicester squad which reached four European Cup Finals and won 24 caps for England.
"To play nearly 300 games for Leicester and 100 for Saracens before that, plus 40 for England at various levels, gives me great pride," he said.
Chuter added: "Now I can finally get a bit of perspective and think about how long I've played the game, how many matches and how many training sessions I've been involved in.
"A lot of guys move around to find fresh challenges but I've always had my challenges here. Every day has been a challenge and that has kept me fresh and eager for so many years."
Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill said: "George has been a great servant of the club, and of professional rugby, for a long time.
"To play so many games at the top level of the club game, as well as internationally, and with the competition he has faced throughout his career, shows just how good a player he has been."
Source: AFP
