Monday 15 July 2019 11:29, UK
Former New Zealand international Manu Vatuvei has announced his retirement from rugby league, a month after it was revealed a brain cyst had ended his prospects of a boxing career.
The 33-year-old winger set a club try-scoring record during his 14 seasons with New Zealand Warriors - but the last match of his career was for Salford against St Helens in the final match of the 2017 Super League season.
Vatuvei was a high-profile signing for the Red Devils and played in the last eight matches of that campaign, but severely damaged his Achilles tendon in a freak training accident a week before the opening match of the next season, and was released from his contract in June 2018.
Vatuvei said on Instagram on Monday that he was now ready to accept the time was right to retire.
"I wasn't ready to or accept that my time is up and can honestly say it's been the tough and now I'm ready to accept and announce my retirement," he wrote.
Vatuvei, who was nicknamed "The Beast", scored 152 tries in 226 games for the Warriors and was a member of the Kiwis team that won the 2008 World Cup.
