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Leinster statement: The confirmed retirement of Rhys Ruddock

Rhys Ruddock with Ireland at Rugby World Cup 2019 (Photo by Richard Heathcote/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Former Ireland captain Rhys Ruddock has confirmed he will retire from rugby at the end of the current season rather than seek a potential switch to Wales.

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It was at the start of 2024 when he was linked with a change in allegiance from green to red, but no call-up materialised from Warren Gatland for the Guinness Six Nations and the back-rower has now opted to retire rather than extend his career.

A statement read: “Leinster back row Rhys Ruddock, who has played 228 times for Leinster and has been capped on 27 occasions by Ireland, has announced that he will retire from rugby at the end of the current season.

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Antoine Dupont is the GREATEST rugby player EVER – Leinster vs Toulouse reaction

Jim Hamilton and Bernard Jackman react to Toulouse beating Leinster in the final of the Investec Champions Cup and discuss Antoine Dupont who was named player of the match.

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Antoine Dupont is the GREATEST rugby player EVER – Leinster vs Toulouse reaction

Jim Hamilton and Bernard Jackman react to Toulouse beating Leinster in the final of the Investec Champions Cup and discuss Antoine Dupont who was named player of the match.

“The 33-year-old made his debut for Leinster in December 2009 against the Dragons in the number six shirt and since then has been an ever-present in the Leinster back row and on occasions second row for Michael Cheika, Joe Schmidt, Matt O’Connor, and Leo Cullen.

“Less than a year after his Leinster debut, he pulled on a senior Ireland jersey for the first time, against Australia, in the summer of 2010, when still only 19, as a late injury call-up for their tour down under.

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“His leadership qualities have also shone over many years captaining Ireland U-20s to a Six Nations title and going on to captain Leinster and Ireland at senior level.

“In February 2011, Ruddock became the youngest ever Leinster captain when only 20-years-old against Aironi. Since his debut in 2009, Ruddock has been part of six URC title winnings squads, three Champions Cup titles, and a Challenge Cup.

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“He was also named on the PRO12 team of the year in 2014. With Ireland, he won a Six Nations title in 2014 and played in the 2015 and the 2019 Rugby World Cup.”

Ruddock said: “This has been an incredibly difficult decision to make. To retire from playing the game you love isn’t easy, however, after 15 years of professional rugby, I feel the time is right for me now and I’m excited for the next chapter.

“Supporting the Leinster team in Donnybrook as an eight-year-old, while my dad was coach, I could only have dreamed about putting on a Leinster jersey myself. To go on to play my whole career with this team has been a dream come true.

“Leinster has been such a huge part of my life. I have made some of my best friends here, with teammates past and present and had the privilege to be coached by, and work with, the most amazing group of people.

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“To have had the opportunity to captain both Leinster and Ireland has been an incredible honour and is something I will always treasure and look back on with pride.

“I am hugely appreciative of the support the fans have given us over the years and have always felt privileged to represent you. To everyone who has helped me on my rugby journey, but in particular, to Mumbles RFC, UCD, St Mary’s, and in Leinster; to the players, the coaches, the medics, staff, and the supporters, thank you.

“I couldn’t have done any of it without the unwavering support of my family. To my mum and dad, Bernadette and Mike, to Katie, Ciaran, and to my partner Caoimhe, thank you all so much for the support through the good days and the bad.

“It wouldn’t have been possible without you all in my corner. It’s been one hell of a journey so far; so many incredible memories made and friendships built. I’m looking forward to giving everything I can to help this team finish this season on a high.”

Leinster head coach Cullen added: “The Ruddock family have played a huge role in the evolution of Leinster Rugby in the professional era. Rhys’ father Mike was our first full-time professional coach and Rhys was a young boy back in 1997 when I first laid eyes on him. He certainly grew up quickly representing Ireland first when he was only 19.

“I was lucky enough to both play with and coach Rhys. He has been a fantastic player and role model to so many others during his time with Leinster.

“He has amazing leadership qualities and is a great competitor who has shown a deep care for so many of his teammates during his distinguished career. We would like to wish Rhys and all the Ruddock family every success for the future.”

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J
JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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