Ian Whitten: Exeter Chiefs' former Ireland centre to retire in the summer
- Published
Ian Whitten has been part of Exeter's squad through their rise to becoming one of the dominate sides in the Premiership
Exeter Chiefs centre Ian Whitten says it was difficult to admit that his rugby career was coming to an end.
The 35-year-old twice-capped Ireland back will retire in the summer after 11 years at Sandy Park.
He was in the squad for four of Exeter's six Premiership finals and started the 2020 Champions Cup final win over Racing 92 in Bristol.
"It's a sad thing admitting to yourself that you can't play professional rugby forever," he told BBC Radio Devon.
"I have enjoyed it, it's been a great club to play for, it's a party that you don't ever want to end.
"But at the same time you can only keep up for so long and you don't want to hang on and hang on until the bitter end until everybody's laughing at you because you're so old.
"It was difficult, but it feels like I've made the right decision.
"The club's heading towards a new era, they're going to be building a new team, and at my age I was never going to be part of a new team.
"Body-wise, recovering after a game and being able to train during the week, from that regard as well it feels like it's the right time."
Ian Whitten played 61 times for Ulster before joining Exeter in 2012
Whitten has scored scored 31 tries in 279 games for the Chiefs and says his highlight was the club's dramatic Premiership semi-final win over Saracens in 2017.
He moved to Exeter from Ulster in the summer of 2012 and won caps for Ireland against the USA and Canada on the tour of North America in 2009.
Joining Whitten is long-serving prop Ben Moon, 33, who leaves Exeter after 15 years. The pair are the latest experienced players to announce their exit from the club - Scotland's Stuart Hogg is retiring and Luke Cowan-Dickie, Sam Simmonds, Harry Williams, Dave Ewers and Jack Nowell will all depart in the summer as a reduced salary cap hits the Chiefs squad hard.
"There is a bit of sadness about it, you can't get away from the fact that a lot of us have played together for a very long time," added Whitten, who plans to move back to his native Northern Ireland and begin a career away from the rugby field.
"It's been a great place to be and we've had a great camaraderie as a team, that was one of our great strengths, how tight we've been as a team for so long.
"So for that to be breaking up there is a sadness to it, certainly we've been battling as a team for performances in the last two years.
"But it sort of feels like we're turning a corner as well, a couple of young fellas have come in, and we've done well - barring Leicester - in the last couple of games.
"So it feels like there's hope for the future and also determination from the boys that are going to finish off on a good note."