Stuart Hogg: Scotland & Exeter Chiefs full-back announces immediate retirement

Former Scotland skipper Stuart Hogg is retiring from rugby "with large sadness" astatine the property of 31.

Hogg, who joined Exeter Chiefs from Glasgow Warriors successful 2019, won 100 Scotland caps and toured 3 times with the British and Irish Lions.

"I fought with everything I had to marque the Rugby World Cup but this clip my assemblage has not been capable to bash the things I wanted and needed it to do," helium said.

"It is hard wherever to commencement but with large sadness and an tremendous magnitude of pride, I americium announcing my contiguous status from playing rugby. We knew this time would travel eventually, I conscionable ne'er thought it would beryllium this soon.

"It's hard to enactment into words conscionable however overmuch of an interaction the crippled has had connected my life. I volition beryllium retiring knowing that I person fixed my assemblage and bosom to rugby. I volition beryllium everlastingly grateful to this astonishing assemblage and cannot hold to statesman my travel arsenic a arrogant protagonist of the team."

Hogg won the Pro12 with Warriors successful 2015 and a Premiership and European Champions Cup treble with the Chiefs successful 2020.

He featured astatine the past 2 World Cups and was with the Lions for their Australia 2013, New Zealand 2017 and South Africa 2021 tours.

"He has been an outstanding subordinate for Scotland and has had a vocation lit up with truthful galore achievements, highlights and peculiar memories," said Scotland caput manager Gregor Townsend.

"I person had the pleasance of coaching Stuart for the bulk of his career, and helium was a joyousness to enactment with and ticker connected the grooming tract and successful games. His basal skills and velocity acceptable him isolated from different players, and it has been an astonishing effort to play Test rugby for the past 11 years.

"To scope 100 caps this twelvemonth was fitting and conscionable reward for a vocation that has seen him correspond the British and Irish Lions and triumph trophies some domestically and astatine a European level.

"We respect his determination to measurement distant present and recognize the stresses and challenges his assemblage has gone done successful caller seasons."