Jamie Heaslip retires with immediate effect
Leinster Rugby back row Jamie Heaslip has announced his decision to retire with immediate effect.
The Kildare native, who made 229 appearances for Leinster since his debut in 2005, announced his decision this morning.
Heaslip has not played since suffering a lower back injury in the warm up to the England 6 Nations game in March 2017 which ultimately ruled him out of that game and indeed the rest of the season with Ireland and Leinster.
Leo Cullen and Girvan Dempsey lead tributes to Jamie Heaslip
His last game for Leinster was a few weeks before that when he played all 80 minutes from No. 8 in the 24-24 draw away to Castres in the Champions Cup.
Despite an intensive period of rehabilitation since then, he has been forced to retire from the game.
Speaking to leinsterrugby.ie 34 year old Heaslip said, “A lot of players unfortunately don’t get the opportunity to bow out on their own terms but thankfully having taken my time and after medical advice and consultation with my wife and close family, I have taken this decision with my future well-being in mind.
“Since my rugby journey began pulling on a jersey in Naas, to Newbridge College and Dublin University, all I’ve ever wanted was to represent Leinster but I’ve been lucky enough to exceed even my own wildest dreams with a career that I am hugely proud of with Leinster, Ireland and with the British & Irish Lions.
“Playing in the blue, green and red jersey gave me some unbelievable moments, but running out in the white of Trinity in College Park or out of the RDS tunnel and into the Leinster lunatics in the Laighin Pit are memories that are just as precious to me and ones that I will miss dearly.
“I have always said that rugby is just one side to me and that there are other avenues that I am keen to explore and that opportunity has come earlier than I would have liked but I feel that I am in a good place to take that next step.
“There are too many coaches, team mates, players and people for me to mention right now but you have all played a part in my journey and I am grateful for the part played.
“I would like to thank most sincerely the doctors, the physios and the S&C team in Leinster Rugby and the IRFU for their help throughout my career but in particular over the last 12 months. No stone was left unturned by them, or I, as we sought a way back.
“To my wife Sheena, to my parents, my family and friends, thank you for your love and support.
“Finally, to the Leinster, Ireland and Lions supporters. We’ve enjoyed some incredible highs together, and indeed some lows, but it was an honour to represent you all and I hope that I have left all three jerseys in a better place.”
Heaslip made his Leinster Rugby debut in March 2005 against Neath Swansea Ospreys coming off the bench in a 12-16 loss in Donnybrook.
Since then he has added a further 228 caps to his Leinster CV, scoring 38 tries in the process and is the most capped Leinster forward of all-time.
In his time with Leinster Rugby, Heaslip won three Heineken Cups, a Challenge Cup and three Celtic League/PRO12 titles and was named captain of the side in August 2014.
Credit: Leinster Rugby TV
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said: “We are all saddened by the news that Jamie is retiring from the game after sustaining an injury before the Ireland against England game last March.
“I remember first seeing Jamie in the Leinster Academy and knowing straight away that he had something very different about him, a confidence and a belief in what he was doing. It was in 2007 when I returned from a playing stint in England that my initial impression was confirmed – in the two years I was away, Jamie had become a mainstay of the Leinster team.
“What separated Jamie was his attention to detail, his desire to continuously improve, his work rate and his fierce competitive instincts when he was on the field. Jamie wanted to win and that meant the standard of what his team mates was delivering had to get better also.
“I don’t think any Leinster fan, myself included, will forget his try in the 2009 Heineken Cup Final against Leicester Tigers when he drove himself over the line with a little help from Shane Jennings, or his wrap around scoring pass to Johnny Sexton in the 2011 Heineken Cup Final, or his vital turnover on our own try line as Ulster were on the attack in the 2012 Heineken Cup Final. When it came to the big occasions, Jamie somehow always delivered big moments.
“His durability over the course of a long career was testament to how he lived his life as a professional athlete, and he managed to squeeze an incredible amount into the time he had as a rugby player.
“We will miss Jamie greatly at Leinster but we wish him and wife Sheena the very best for their future. To Jamie’s parents Richard (Dick) and Christine, we hope to still see you at Leinster games. You have been there along every step of the way and we’ll also miss you greatly. So many parents go through the highs and lows that this great game provides and we are very thankful for the support that you have given us over the years.
“Jamie, congratulations on what has been a truly remarkable career. Thank you for raising the bar at Leinster and for pushing us all to be better.”
He made his Ireland debut in November 2006 against the Pacific Islands becoming the 1,000th player to pull on the green of Ireland in doing so and followed that up with his 6 Nations debut in 2008 against Italy.
He has since gone on to captain Ireland and won a total of 95 caps for his country scoring 13 tries and winning three 6 Nations titles including the 2009 Grand Slam.
Heaslip was twice nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year Award in 2009 and in 2016 and he won the World Rugby Try of the Year Award for his score against Italy in the 2016 6 Nations.
He was also part of two British & Irish Lions tours in 2009 and 2013 winning 12 caps and scoring two tries in the tours to South Africa and Australia.
Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt paid tribute to Heaslip:
“Jamie was an intelligent and incredibly robust player. The string of trophies he contributed to is lengthy, including 3 European Cups, 3 Six Nations, including the 2009 Grand Slam and a couple of Pro12 trophies thrown in for good measure.”
“There are so many moments that spring to mind, whether it be his superb second half against Northampton in the 2011 Heineken Cup final or his clever line and tireless work ethic that combined to see him score the International Try of the Year two years ago, or his crucial try saving tackle on Stuart Hogg on ‘Super Sunday‘, to help tip the balance in retaining the Six Nations trophy. Utterly professional, driven to succeed and a leader with the actions he delivered.”
IRFU Performance Director, David Nucifora also praised Heaslip’s achievements,
“Jamie was one of the top players in world rugby over the course of his 11 year international career. He achieved so much in the game but at the same time was a great example for younger players with his professionalism, dedication and application on and off the field.”
Meanwhile IRFU Chief Executive Philip Browne added “The IRFU would like to thank Jamie for his outstanding contribution to Irish Rugby. His consistent level of high performance has helped drive the national team to unprecedented levels of success over the past 10 years. We wish him and his wife Sheena well in the next chapter of their lives.”
Comments on RugbyPass
This is short sighted from Clayton if you ask me, smacks of too much preseason planning and no adaptability. What if DMac is out for a must win match, are they still only going to bring their best first five and playmaker on late in the game? Trusting the game to someone who wasn’t even part of planning (they would have had Trask pinned in as Jacomb preseason). Perhaps if the Crusaders were better they would not have done this, but either way imo you take this opportunity to play a guy you might need starting in a final rather than having their 12th game getting comfortable coming off the bench.
1 Go to commentsThanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.
21 Go to commentsWhat a load of bollocks. The author has forgotten to mention the fact that the Crusaders have a huge injury toll with top world class players out. Not to mention the fact that they are obviously in a transition period. No this will not spark a slow death for NZ rugby, but it does mean there will be a new Super Rugby champion. Anyone who knows anything about NZ rugby knows that there is some serious talent here, it just isn’t all at the Crusaders.
2 Go to commentsI wouldn’t spend the time on Nawaqanitawase! No point in having him filling in a jersey when he’s committed to leave Union. Give the jersey to a young prospect who will be here in the future.
4 Go to commentsIt was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
7 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to comments