Ulster Rugby vs Connacht

DAVITT ANNOUNCES INTERNATIONAL RETIREMENT

Cooke and Ulster centre Grace Davitt announced her retirement from Ireland duty last month, bringing a memorable ten-year international career to an end.

WOMEN’S RUGBY

Davitt, who made her Ireland debut back in 2005 against Spain, is certain it was the right time to make such a decision. “I played international rugby for a long time and I’ve just come to a stage in my life where I’m unable to continue with the level of commitment required. I made the hard decision to finish on a high after the World Cup this year. To play the hosts France in the 3rd/4th place play-off in front of 20,000 people and live on TV was a great way to remember my last game,” she said. That was one of many career highlights, but Davitt admits it’s an impossible task to pick her favourite moment in the green jersey: “You obviously take a lot of pride in your first cap and playing that game against Spain in Madrid in 2005 was huge for me. Then to continue on and win a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2013 was amazing, I never even dreamed that could happen. Walking out in the Aviva Stadium for my 50th cap was another proud day. To have my family and friends in Marcoussis for the World Cup win over New Zealand was just amazing; they had come to games over the years when we were getting hammered 70-0 against England or 50-0 against France. And obviously to play in the semi-final of a World Cup was a major highlight.” There is no shortage of highs, and a few lows, throughout the last decade for Davitt, and she has experienced plenty of change too: “The women’s game is almost unrecognisable from when I started playing. We bought our own tracksuits back in the day and we only had three or four training sessions before a big Six Nations game. Now the team is fully kitted out and the girls are training daily. There is also a physio, a nutritionist and a video analyst, so it’s a lot more professional. “Now some of the girls are paid to play 7s rugby, like Ashleigh Baxter and Nikki Caughey from Ulster who have signed professional terms with the IRFU. It’s amazing when you consider that it actually cost us money to play rugby for our country back at the start.” With young players like Baxter and Caughey coming through the ranks, and with increased investment in the female game, Davitt is adamant the future of women’s rugby in Ireland is in safe hands: “The more support you get behind the scenes the more successful you’re going to be. It’s a new era for women’s rugby and especially with the Irish team; there’s plenty of new faces coming in to take over from some of the older players.” Rugby is without doubt a special game and Davitt was quick to praise the social side of the

sport. “I just love rugby. I started as a Gaelic footballer and I played any sport that I could possibly put my hand to, but once I tried rugby that was it. The camaraderie you get from rugby is great - you can go anywhere in the world and play rugby and make friends instantly. I know when I first moved up to Ulster, all I did was spend time with my friends from Cooke.” Having helped the Cooke Women return to All Ireland Division 1 with a win over Carlow in the Division 2 play-off final a forthnight ago, Davitt is now focusing on enjoying her club rugby. “It’s very hard to hang up your boots completely. We’ve got back to where we want to be in Division 1 but that’s only the starting point. We want to be a team to be reckoned with and it’s now that the hard work begins.” Following the announcement of her retirement on Twitter, scores of tributes poured in on the social media site, highlighting her significant contribution to women’s rugby. But with her continuing involvement in the game at club and provincial level, that contribution is far from over.

UlsterBranch

15

www. ulster rugby.com

ULSTERRUGBY