Sale forward James Phillips has called time on his 15-year professional career after suffering an horrific jaw break in September.
Phillips, 34, began his career at Bristol, debuting in the 2007/08 campaign, and went on to play for Exeter Chiefs, London Scottish, Bristol again and Bath before signing for the Sharks in 2018.
In what proved his last full season, the No 8 - who could also player at flanker or in the second row - was integral as the club reached the Premiership play-offs.
He played 26 times for Alex Sanderson's team as they finished the regular season third in the table, qualifying for the semi-finals, before Sale lost a thrilling game 40-30 to eventual champions Harlequins.
However, Phillips' pre-season preparation for this campaign was thrown into jeopardy in a friendly against Italian team Benetton Treviso last September.
The former England under-16 and under-18 international received an accidental knee to his face, which left him needing surgery to fix a double fracture of his jaw.
“I’m absolutely gutted to be honest that my career has been cut short, but I’ve known for a little while that this was likely to be the end," he told the club website.
“After the operation, I thought I’d be back playing within four or five weeks but then I started getting headaches and feeling dizzy and groggy all the time. I had some scans and tests and it was clear that it was more serious than we thought at first.
“It’s hard to take but I’ve loved every minute of my time at Sale Sharks."
Phillips also thanked Sale for their support.
"The coaches, the players and the staff at the club have made me feel so welcome and the supporters have always been brilliant with me.
“The last few months have been really difficult for me but I’ve had fantastic support from the club, but more importantly from my wife and my two girls. I don’t know how I’d have got through it without them so I want to say a big thank you.”
Coach Sanderson paid tribute to the forward, adding “James is a fantastic player, but more importantly, he’s really honest, genuine guy who is so well loved by everyone at the club," he said.
“I genuinely hope that he’ll be one of those people who will be part of the Sharks family for life. We’ve loved working with him and wish him all the very best for the future.”
