England centre retires with immediate effect

Devoto earned two England caps and won two Premiership titles with Exeter Chiefs, along with the 2020 Champions Cup, during an eight-year spell at Sandy Park.

He made his England Test debut in May 2016, coming off the bench in a 27-13 victory over Wales at Twickenham.

The following month, Devoto was selected for the England A tour of South Africa and crossed for a try in the opening match as England claimed a series win over the Springboks.

After Joe Marchant was ruled out of England's 2017 tour of Argentina with a toe injury, Devoto was called up as a replacement but did not feature.

His second and final England appearance came as a substitute in the opening game of the 2020 Six Nations, a defeat to France.

He was also named among the replacements for the following match against Scotland at Murrayfield but was not called into action as England went on to lift the title.

The 32-year-old spent the past two seasons with Major League Rugby side Chicago Hounds in the United States. During his final campaign, he made eight appearances, including the MLR final, where the Hounds defeated California Legion.

"For me and my family it's probably the right decision to call it a day," Devoto told BBC Radio Somerset.

"I'd thought about it for the last couple of years since leaving Exeter.

"I'm really grateful for the opportunity to go out to America. It's something I've never experienced before and to take the family out was very special."

Here are some of the most notable retirements.

England, Wasps and Harlequins lock Joe Launchbury announced in April he will retire from rugby at the end of the season.

The 70-cap former England international made his professional debut for Wasps in 2011 and spent more than a decade at the club before a brief spell in Japan. He later returned to England to join Harlequins.

Launchbury was first called up by England in 2012 and made his Test debut as a replacement in a 54-12 victory over Fiji. He went on to feature in all four Autumn Internationals that year, including starting the memorable 38-21 win over New Zealand.

The second row won three Guinness Six Nations titles during his international career, including the Grand Slam in 2016, and also helped England reach the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.

“It's a career I look back on with hugely fond memories, I've loved every minute of it,” said Launchbury.

Glasgow Warriors stalwart Duncan Weir is to "step back" from playing to take up an academy coaching role at the club, having confirmed it in December.

The former Scotland fly-half, 34, won the Pro12 title with Glasgow Warriors and made more than 150 appearances across two spells with the club.

Weir was "really excited" for his new role, telling the Warriors website: "I'm really looking forward to working with Nick, who's bringing so much experience over from Australia, and with Shade, who I've obviously known for a long time.

"Having such a solid foundation is going to serve me well in the new role, and is going to serve Glasgow Warriors well long term."

Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny announced in May that he will retire at the end of the season.

The 37-year-old won 101 caps for Wales and scored 801 points, leaving him third on the nation's all-time points scoring list behind his mentor Neil Jenkins and Stephen Jones.

Halfpenny also played four Tests for the British and Irish Lions and was named man of the series against Australia in 2013.

He began and finished his career with Cardiff, while also representing Toulon, Scarlets, Crusaders and Harlequins, winning both the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup.

Jonny May confirmed his retirement from professional rugby with immediate effect in June, bringing an end to a distinguished career that established him as one of England's most prolific try scorers and recognisable players.

The former England winger announced the news on social media, posting a heartfelt message reflecting on his journey in the sport. “Aimed for the stars, landed on the moon, time to come back to Earth,” May wrote, thanking supporters in both English and French after a career that spanned clubs and countries.

Tributes quickly followed from across the rugby community. England Rugby described May's career as "incredible", while former teammates and fellow professionals were also quick to pay their respects.

George North brought the curtain down on his professional career by representing the Barbarians against Wales.

For a player who scored 47 tries in 121 internationals for his country, it marked an unusual end to a career that saw him serve Wales with distinction for 14 years.

North, who announced in April that he would retire at the end of the season, admitted it had been difficult explaining the situation to his two sons, Jac and Tomi after accepting the Barbarians invitation.

"I thought I was finished and then this Barbarians opportunity came along," the 34-year-old back told the Scrum V podcast.

"It was funny having a conversation with my two boys trying to explain that daddy's going to play rugby again.

"They were 'that's good' but then I was saying it was against Wales. They were like 'no daddy, that's not what do you do, you play for Wales'.

"I said I played for Wales, and I was lucky to do that, but now I am playing against them. I'm just hoping we can get a couple of small Barbarians jerseys quickly for them."