Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, responding to Denton’s retirement, said: “We’re really disappointed that someone who still had a lot to offer the game both at club level and for Scotland hasn’t been able to do that, but our first thoughts are with his health and his life beyond rugby and it seems to be the right decision to retire.

“We were hoping that taking some time out of the game would mean he would be available for selection in our world cup training squad and when that didn’t happen, we were hopeful he’d be back for next season, but again that’s not happened.

“We’re going to miss him with Scotland. He played very well last summer after being involved in the Six Nations, playing really well in that (away) game against Argentina, and getting back to the form he was in at the last world cup.

“As coaches we really enjoyed working with Dave over the years and we wish him all the best in life after rugby.”

Asked about his rugby highlight, Denton unhesitatingly picked his first start for Scotland against England at BT Murrayfield in 2012.

Even in a 6-13 defeat, Denton, 6ft 5ins and just shy of 18st, all power and bristling aggression, was named man of the match.

“It was a real watershed moment for me. It was the culmination of everything I had been striving for since I was a kid. It set me up for the rest of my career.

"My reputation, my name, was built around that game. Maybe it was my age, but I was so blindly confident in my own ability at that time. I spent a good part of my career trying to find that state of mind again,” he explained.

He bears no ill-will to the game of rugby.

“Concussion is obviously a contentious issue at the moment,” he said. “Personally, I think World Rugby is doing as much as it can to try and limit the number of incidents.

“Controlling tackles above the shoulders has been a positive step but I think making anything above the waist illegal would cause more trouble than good.

“If my son wanted to play rugby, I wouldn’t be worried in the first instance. I think it is important that all school kids, coaches and teachers are well-educated about concussion signs, risks and treatments.

“In my experience, the majority (of concussions) occurred to the tackler, so, it’s essential that good technique is practised from a young age. And if anyone, including kids, have recurring issues then it’s time to stop.”