England hooker Steve Thompson has been forced to retire from rugby union again after suffering another neck injury.
The 33-year-old first retired in 2007 but has now been told not to make another comeback.
He will undergo surgery on Tuesday.
"I went to the specialist and he advised me it isn't safe to carry on playing," said Thompson, who has won 73 caps for England.
"It just went. I was gutted," Thompson added. "I played 60 minutes at Worcester and that was it.
"I tried to convince myself it was fine and it wasn't. I have got to accept it this time. There is no way I can play."
The injury occurred during training in October when Thompson hit a scrum machine and he has been unable to play because of numbness and dizziness since.
