England forward Nick Easter retires

REUTERS: England forward Nick Easter has retired from rugby union at the age of 37, his club Harlequins announced on Friday.

He will take up a coaching role with Harlequins, three months after becoming a player-coach.

“I realised that whether I’m playing or coaching, there was no possible way that I would be able to give 100% to both of my roles at the same time,” he told the club’s website (www.quins.co.uk).

“I thought, why not grab the opportunity of becoming a coach with both hands, give it my best shot and feel privileged to be in a position to go out on my own terms after 12 great years as a player for Harlequins.”

Easter won the first of his 54 England caps in 2007, playing in the World Cup final that year.

In 2015 he returned to international rugby after a four-year absence, scoring three tries against Uruguay in a World Cup match.

That made him the oldest hat-trick scorer in test matches.