Bath's Matt Perry has announced his retirement from the game due to a chronic back injury.
The 30-year-old, Bath Rugby's longest serving player, made the decision because of a bulging disc in his back, which means that he cannot get his fitness levels up to the necessary standard to be a professional rugby player.
Perry was born in Bath and played for the club's minis before going to Millfield School. He returned to the Academy at the age of 17, and from there graduated to the first XV, making his debut against Nottingham in December 1995, and five more appearances for the club at the end of the amateur era.
He last played for Bath against NEC Harlequins on 9th December 2006 at the Twickenham Stoop, helping the team to a victory that kept their European Challenge Cup campaign on track. In all, Perry started 205 times for Bath, and came on as a replacement on 15 more occasions, and scored 561 points, including 36 tries.
Perry holds the record number of caps for an England full-back, amassing 36 in total after his debut in 1997 against Australia, which was Clive Woodward's first match in charge of the national side. He was selected for the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia in 2001, and took part in all three Tests, as well as making three other appearances for the side, while he also played five times for the Barbarians.
Explaining his decision, Perry said: "I can only operate at about 75 per cent, and these days you have to be 100 per cent or you have got no chance. The bulging disc won't let me operate at 100 per cent: it affects the nerves, which then affect the muscles down my left leg especially, from the hamstring to the calf."
As a player who spanned the amateur and professional eras, Perry successfully adapted to the changes that entailed. "The first period at Bath, from about 1995 to 2000, was very special," he said, "because I came from school into an atmosphere which was the end of a generation of a great Bath team that won so many trophies. It was a culture where you had to keep your mouth shut and get on with it, which taught me a lot about respect and how you gain it.
"1997 was a big year because I won my first England cap, then Bath won the Heineken Cup in 1998, and then going to the '99 World Cup was special as well."
Although he cites Audley Lumsden, who played 120 times for Bath, as one figure who particularly helped in his early career from school, Perry says that everyone at the club contributed to his enjoyment of the game. "During my whole time at Bath, so many players have come through, and I have loved every minute of it - it's all about the characters."
Perry's retirement comes as the unexpected but perhaps fitting culmination of his Testimonial Year, launched last March, for which various events have been held. Two weekends ago, he and Leon Lloyd of Leicester celebrated their benefits with a reunion of the two teams that contested the Pilkington Cup Final in 1996, which Bath won with a late penalty try. Perry enjoyed 60 minutes in the rematch (this time a 45-15 Leicester win), suitably styled "The Grudge Match", which was staged at Welford Road in front of a magnificent crowd of 8,500 people.
"We probably had about 80 per cent of the Bath side," Perry said. "We had a reunion on the Saturday night and the game on the Sunday, and the support that the fans throughout my whole career have given me, as well as on that day, made it so special. Throughout my career - the good times and the bad - they have always been there, so I owe a lot to them."
As a trustee of the Bath Rugby Community Foundation, which was established as a charity in 2003, Perry has been at the heart of the club's community work, and he is looking forward to continuing that beyond his retirement from the game. "It's a great role, because being a Bath man, I think that the work that the team does to help the community is something special. It's a fairly new initiative; there's no other club in the country which gets into the projects and initiatives that this community team bring in. Caring about the city and the community as much as I do, it was a great honour to be called on to be a trustee. I am going to try to do the best job I can when I leave as well."
Jack Rowell, currently non-executive director, and formerly the club's Head Coach and Director of Rugby, said: "Matt Perry was a gifted footballer with the underlying character which has allowed him to deliver successfully both on the club and international field. He was utterly reliable and therefore a good team player both on and off the field. His charisma is such that his team colleagues can quickly relate to him, and he has made a most valuable contribution over a lengthy period of ten years or more.
"He is a Bath boy and in a small city - one that has nevertheless produced several first class international rugby players - he must rank with Jeremy Guscott, John Hall and John Palmer. It is sad therefore that a recent chronic injury has curtailed his career, but nevertheless we should respect and celebrate his outstanding rugby career for Bath, England and the British Lions."
England head coach and former Bath boss Brian Ashton also paid tribute to the player, saying: ``I have known Matt for over a decade.
``He made his debut when I was coaching Bath back in 1995.
``He has been a great servant to his club and his country and he is still England's most capped full-back.
``An incredible competitor, Matt's team-mates were always glad to have him on their side.
``I wish him all the best in the future.''
Bob Calleja, Chief Executive at Bath Rugby, echoed the praise: "Matt embodies everything we wish to be associated with at Bath Rugby: he is loyal, committed, has made an enormous contribution on and off the field, and is a perfect gentleman. He is a shining example to all his colleagues as well as to youngsters. He has battled long and hard against his injury problems and I truly wish him all the best in his future career.
"I hope that Matt will continue to play a part with Bath Rugby, particularly with the ambitious development plans and the continuing growth of the club's community work, whether as a future employer or a local consultant. He is currently serving as a trustee of the Community Foundation and I hope he will continue to contribute in that respect for many more years. He may be retiring from the game but he is not retiring from his association with Bath Rugby."
Although characteristically modest about his achievements, Perry is justifiably proud of them too.
"I was lucky to be involved with a Bath team that was still in the amateur era when I started, so I have seen both sides, which gives me a broad experience of what rugby means, especially at Bath. I am very lucky and very proud to have done what I have. I have been lucky to be in certain situations and to get opportunities, but with that you have to work hard and have a strong mentality to stay there. So I am proud of that.
"I would like to say thank you to the fans for their immense support, and to the club as a whole - the ethos of Bath is as strong as ever."