Former New Zealand international Jason Eaton has announced that he will retire from rugby at the end of the season as he struggles to recover from concussion, his club La Rochelle announced on Friday (NZ time).
The former All Black suffered the injury playing against fellow French club Clermont early last month and has taken the decision to retire because his condition hasn't improved during his time on the sidelines.
"It's obviously not the planned finish I wanted," Eaton told reporters at a press conference.
"But that's the nature of the sport. I can't control injuries... because I'm retiring I'll put more importance on my brain because I'm going to need it pretty soon.
"It's pretty easy to run around a rugby field without a brain, but to work in an office or whatever it is, it's pretty important."
Eaton played 18 tests for the All Blacks between 2009-2009. He also played 88 games for the Hurricanes during his time in New Zealand.
He also played rugby in Japan before making the move to France.
The 35-year-old is unsure what his future holds, and is expecting a challenging transition into life after rugby.
"I've no idea what I'm going to do work-wise, I'm pretty sure it's not going to be in rugby," added Eaton.
"I'll move into some other sector, I don't know what yet. It's going to be a new and challenging time."
Newshub.
