IRELAND AND Leinster back row Dan Leavy has been forced to retire from rugby after failing to overcome an knee injury picked up against Ulster Rugby in March 2019.
Leavy won 11 caps for his country and was a key member of Ireland's Grand Slam win in 2018 under Joe Schmidt.
On the club side the 27-year-old played 79 times for Leinster Rugby since his debut against Edinburgh Rugby in October 2014.
He also became a vital cog in Leinster's Champions Cup winning side of 2018.
Leavy also won Leinster's Players’ Player of the Year award in 2019
📢 | #LeinsterRugby sadly announce that @DanLeafy94 is to retire from the game with immediate effect following medical advice. — Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) April 5, 2022
We wish Dan the very best for the future and thank him for all the great days in the blue jersey. 💙
More | https://t.co/RVSeRTCpMS#ThankYouDan pic.twitter.com/XxZUyZrMi1
After medical advice on the injury that kept him out of the latest Six Nations, it was advised that he hang up his boots.
Speaking to leinster rugby.ie, Leavy said,
“I have done everything I can to come back from the knee injury I suffered in 2019 but unfortunately I can’t do any more or ask any more of my body.
“I’d like to thank Andy Williams, my surgeon, and Karl Denvir, my physio in Leinster, for all that they have done for me in the years since then. I can take solace from the fact that I tried everything over the last three years.
“From the early days in Old Belvedere to my time in St Michael’s College, all I wanted was to pull on a Leinster Rugby jersey. And then when you achieve that, it’s an Ireland jersey.
“I am very proud of all that I achieved in my short time as a professional.
“Some amazing highs with my brothers in blue and in green and I am beyond grateful for those days and those moments especially the highs of 2018 in Bilbao, the Aviva Stadium and Twickenham.
“More than that I am proud of how I carried myself, in particular over the last few years, and I hope I represented my club, my country, my family and friends to the best of my abilities in those years. I am beyond grateful to them all for their support and in particular to my mum and dad, Eilish and Donal, my sister, Rachel, and my brother, Adam.
London , United Kingdom - 17 March 2018; Ireland players, from left, Rory Best, Dan Leavy Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)Leinster Rugby head coach Leo Cullen gave his props to the 27-year-old giving an insight on how talented he was from a young age
“Dan was a player earmarked from an early age as a special talent and I think everyone could see that, particularly in those few years in and around 2017, ’18 and ’19, just how dynamic and destructive a player he could be with Leinster and with Ireland where he went on to achieve unprecedented success at that time, he said
“Speaking on behalf of the support staff here at Leinster Rugby it has been a pleasure and privilege to have worked with Dan. He always brought such a positive energy to the group and we will all miss him dearly but would like to acknowledge the significant contribution he has made to the team during his time here.
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