Chiefs legend Tom Hayes forced to retire

The Exeter Daily reports with great sadness tonight that former Exeter Chiefs skipper and hero, Tom Hayes, has been forced to retire from the game with immediate effect.

The 33 year-old forward from Limerick, Ireland has had his hand forced by an ongoing struggle with back trouble.

Hayes can walk away from Sandy Park with his head held high and with fond memories of his time with the Chiefs, and what a time he's had. Tom has been at the heart of the club's successes since he arrived in Exeter in 2008 and will undoubtedly be sorely missed by fellow players, the coaches and of course the fans.

"It's been a great journey for me, but this is where I get off," said Hayes. "Of course it's sad to be going out like this and I'm obviously disappointed to be leaving behind the boys that I've been playing with over the last few years.

"Rugby has been my life for a long, long time now, but sometimes you have to listen to your body and what the medical people are telling you. For me, it's been a privilege and an honour to be part of what we've done here at Exeter in the last few years. To be captain for a large part of that has been a great feeling and I consider myself very lucky to have gone through what I have."

Hayes arrived at Sandy Park 5 years ago from Plymouth Albion and has made 136 appearances for the side since.

The former skipper has always put the club at the centre of what he does both on and off the pitch and has naturally been keen to pay tribute to those that have turned out weekend after weekend to support him and his team.

"Obviously I achieved a lot with the players, but the coaches and all the staff here at the club have been equally as good. Working under the likes of Rob [Baxter], Ali [Hepher] and all the coaches I've learnt so much. By that I mean, it's not just things in rugby where you learn, but I like the way they handle certain situations and that I think has rubbed off on a lot of us.

"Also the supporters have been fantastic throughout. It doesn't matter where we play, they are always there in numbers and making themselves heard. I remember somebody came here a few years ago and said the atmosphere on game day is like that of Thomond Park on a Heineken Cup night. As a former Munsterman, I'd probably relate to that better than anyone, and yes there is an element of truth in that.

"Certainly our fans hit the right note each week and Sandy Park, when it's full to the rafters, is a great place to play rugby. Looking back at things, I do think we've given them plenty to cheer about in recent times, so that's something I'm also proud to take away with me."

There's no doubt that Tom Hayes' powerful presence and leadership skills will be missed by the Chiefs. The obvious question now is who will step into his enormous boots?

#teamTED wish Tom the very best of luck for the future and would like to take this opportunity to thank him for everything he has done for rugby in Exeter.