Tane Tu’ipulotu (32), a popular Tongan rugby player who plays professional rugby in England has decided to call it a day after sustaining a career-ending knee injury.

Tu’ipulotu’s retirement was announced last week in a media release by his rugby club, the Newcastle Falcons. The Newcastle Falcons are a prominent side in England’s highest Rugby competition division, the AVIVA Premiership.

Tu’ipulotu is a star centre and a household name for the Falcons, having played 83 games for the club since 2008.

Tu’ipulotu who had been advised by medical experts to retire due to a knee injury stated, “it’s a painfully tough decision for me to make to stop doing something that I’ve always loved since a young lad growing up in Tonga”.

Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards was equally gutted, “I’m disappointed and it’s a big blow to the team to lose someone of Tane’s calibre. Players of Tane’s quality don’t come around very often, and it’s a massive loss to the side.”

Tu’ipulotu’s career has included appearances for the Pacific Islanders, Junior All Blacks, Wellington Hurricanes and Waikato Chiefs. He grew up in Tonga and attended Saint Kentigern College in New Zealand.