<
>

England and Exeter Chiefs forward Thomas Waldrom retires from rugby

Thomas Waldrom salutes the crowd after the Exeter Chiefs win the Premiership at Twickenham, May 27 2017. David Rogers/Getty Images

Former England and Exeter Chiefs forward Thomas Waldrom has retired from rugby.

Waldrom, 35, earned five caps for England between 2012 and 2013 and won a first Premiership title with the Leicester Tigers in the same year.

He enjoyed his greatest success with the Exeter Chiefs, winning the Premiership in 2016-17 and topping the list of leading try-scorers in 2015 and 2016.

Waldrom helped the Chiefs reach a third consecutive Premiership final in 2017-18 before returning to his native New Zealand to join Wellington, where he began his career.

He announced his retirement on Twitter, saying:

"I have made a decision -- a hard one at that -- but it's time to hang the boots up. A massive thank to @WgtnRugby for letting me come back and finish where it all started.

"Exciting times ahead to start something new. Big thanks to all the players and coaches, you have all been awesome."