Gloucester Rugby

Peter Buxton of Gloucester Rugby looks on© Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Gloucester on Thursday announced the departure of Peter Buxton from the club after thirteen years as a player and a manager.

Buxton, 36, joined Gloucester from Newport in 2002 and made 273 appearances for the West Country side, scoring 8 tries at flanker and sharing captaincy duties with Argentinean Marco Bortolami during the 2007/08 season.

Buxton briefly departed Gloucester in 2013 to join Bristol before returning to Kingsholm almost immediately to take over as the new Senior Academy Manager. After two seasons in the role however Buxton has announced that he will leave to pursue other opportunities.

The Cheltenham born player, who began his career at Championship side Moseley, admitted the difficulty in leaving a club that he has much affection for.

"The club will always have a place in my heart and it's not easy to leave. But the time is right for me to look at doing other things which is something I'm very much looking forward to," he said.