Change of Paice for Exiles with David to retire
DAVID PAICE admits his London Irish career surpassed all expectations after announcing he will be retiring from rugby at the end of this season.
The veteran hooker arrived at the Exiles in 2003 and has gone on to break the club’s appearance record, playing 288 games, many as captain, as well as winning eight senior England caps.
But he has decided that the two remaining fixtures this season will be his last before returning to Brisbane in his native Australia to be nearer to his family as his children prepare to begin school life.
“To be honest, I made the decision in my mind a little while ago,” Paice told The Wokingham Paper.
“I don’t think it’ll quite sink in until the end of the season but I’m looking forward to the next stage of my career and my life.
“It was family reasons more than anything else. I did actually promise my wife I’d retire when I was 32 so I’ve kept going for two more years after that!
“I still had another year on my contract so I’ve got to give a lot of thanks to London Irish for letting me leave a year early.
“London Irish means a lot to me and I’ve given a lot to them but it had to end at some time.”
After being offered the chance to train with the Irish academy when he 20, the forward progressed through the ranks and became a key figure of the side which reached European semifinal in 2008, followed by the Premiership final in 2009.
And now aged 34, he admits his plans had been very different when he arrived in England.
“My first thoughts when I came over here was originally to only play for a year before going back to Australia,” Paice explained.
“But I loved my time over here and I stayed and met a lot of good people that I’ll remain good friends with for the rest of my life.
“I’ve absolutely loved my time over here. “I didn’t expect I’d be over for so long, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
For more from Paice and a preview of this weekend’s clash against Saracens at Madejski Stadium, see The Sports Paper inside.