London Irish hooker David Paice set to retire at end of season

London Irish hooker David Paice has announced that he will retire from professional rugby at the end of the ongoing season.

Paice has been with London Irish since 2003 and has racked up a record 288 appearances for the Exiles since then. He has also been part of the London Irish squad that reached the final of the Premiership in 2008/09 season and also a Heineken Cup semi-final in 2008.

The 34-year-old also led London Irish to promotion to the top tier ahead of the 2017/18 season after they faced a relegation in 2016.

"I would like to thank London Irish for giving me the opportunity to play professional rugby," said Paice.

"The support of my wife Alyce and my two girls Amelie and Charlotte has been truly amazing. They have allowed me to enjoy my rugby. Without their support I wouldn't have got this far in my career.

"But I feel that the time is right for us to move back to Brisbane and be closer to family. Our eldest will also be starting school soon.

"London Irish is a special club, with fantastic supporters and I've made friends for life. There are so many people that I would like to thank, but Toby Booth, Brian Smith, Kieran McCarthy, Gary Gold, Nick Kennedy and Conor O'Shea have played an integral role in my career."

Paice made his England debut in 2008 and went on to play eight Tests for the red rose team with his last appearance coming in June 2013.