Taylor won 52 Wales caps and toured with the 2001 Lions

Former Wales and Lions centre Mark Taylor has announced his retirement at the end of this season.

The 35-year-old won 52 caps and scored the first Millennium Stadium try, for Wales against South Africa in 1999.

Welsh player of the year in 2000, Taylor played for Pontypool, Swansea, Llanelli Scarlets and Sale Sharks before joining the Ospreys last summer.

"I feel that now is the right time to go," said Taylor, who toured Australia with Graham Henry's 2001 Lions.

606: DEBATE Pay your tributes to Mark Taylor

"I am 35, I've had an enjoyable and successful career and I feel that opportunities for me to get regular rugby are only going to get less and less, so I think it is best to make the decision myself rather than have someone make it for me.

"I've got no immediate plans for the future and I am going to take a short break, but I can't see me playing any further rugby at a lower level.

"I have suffered with knee problems throughout my career, so it is a case of quitting while I've still got my health.

"I've got many happy memories of my time as a player to take with me.

"As a young boy I always dreamt of playing for Wales but never imagined it would be true, so to not only do that, but to captain my country, score the first try at the Millennium Stadium and to win a Grand Slam [2005] are fantastic memories."