WORCESTER'S Australian hooker Marco Caputo has stunned the club by announcing his retirement at the age of 28.

Injury and a rule change which forbids him from playing for Six Nations newcomers Italy has forced his hand. He will return to Australia next month.

Caputo has played five times for Australia but moved to Premiership One Bedford in the summer to fight for a place in the Italy side.

An unhappy spell at the cash-strapped club ended in October when he joined Worcester but his appearances were cut short after injuring an ankle against Moseley before Christmas.

The injury has troubled him ever since and a specialist told him this week that surgery is the only cure which would mean seven weeks on the sidelines.

That followed news of a January 1 rule change forbidding players to play for two countries.

"The operation will put me out for seven weeks and, if that's the case, there will only be three or four games left," he said.

"So I've decided to go home, have the operation there and probably retire.

"That's how I feel at the moment, I might change my mind but I feel I should be doing something else now.

"It's the sensible decision, if I had been on my own as a rugby player it would be a lot different but I've got my family to consider."

Caputo, whose wife is pregnant with their second child, secured five caps for Australia but was also on the bench for 42 matches behind Australian legend Phil Kearns.

Eventually he ran out of patience, so decided a move to Europe would boost his chances of playing for Italy.

"I thought of retiring before I came here but playing for Italy was always an attraction," he added. "I decided to try my hand up here and see how it went but it's one of those things you can't predict."

He has ruled out moving into coaching and may start a new career by buying a caf.