Scotland's David Denton has become the latest high-profile player forced to retire due to concussion.
The attritional number 8 - who played 42 times for Scotland since 2011 - has confirmed he's played his final game of rugby, after almost a year on the sidelines.
The 29-year-old suffered a concussion while in action for the Leicester Tigers last November, and has now been forced to quit the game on medical advice,
"This had been building up inside of me for four to five months," he says.
"By the time I got to it, I had been through all the emotional highs and lows, so I was prepared for it.
"Of course, it is devastating that my rugby career is ending. After a few years where I had a series of injuries, I had got myself back into a position where I felt, physically and mentally, that I could play the best rugby of my career."
Despite having his career ended in such devastating circumstances, the Zimbabwe-born forward says he believes that the right efforts are being made to make rugby safer.
"Concussion is obviously a contentious issue at the moment.
"Personally, I think World Rugby is doing as much as it can to try and limit the number of incidents.
"Controlling tackles above the shoulders has been a positive step but I think making anything above the waist illegal would cause more trouble than good.
"If my son wanted to play rugby, I wouldn’t be worried in the first instance. I think it is important that all school kids, coaches and teachers are well-educated about concussion signs, risks and treatments.
"In my experience, the majority (of concussions) occurred to the tackler, so, it’s essential that good technique is practiced from a young age. And if anyone, including kids, have recurring issues then it’s time to stop."
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