Irish rugby suffered a major loss on Tuesday after it was confirmed Leinster flanker Dan Leavy has been forced to retire with immediate effect due to a long-standing knee issue.
Leavy, 27, made his senior debut in October 2014 and made 79 appearances for his province, including seven outings in this season's United Rugby Championship. He also earned 11 caps for Ireland (all wins) and was part of the 2018 Six Nations Grand Slam-winning side, where he played every minute of their final four games.
The back-row talisman has announced he's been advised by medical professionals to retire as a result of the catastrophic knee injury he suffered against Ulster in March 2019. Leinster legend Brian O'Driscoll told Mirror Sport Leavy was "showing all the capabilities of someone that would be a great for Ireland," a sentiment with which many fans who had watched the player at his peak would agree.
“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," Leavy said in a statement on the Leinster Rugby website. "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."
Leavy—who won the European Champions Cup in 2018 and helped Leinster lift three domestic league titles in recent years—thanked his family and Leinster coach Leo Cullen in his retirement post. He acknowledged that while this was "not the end [he] had hoped for," he was fortunate to share so many career highs and lows "with the best team-mates, family and friends around me."
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Cullen lauded Leavy as a player who was "earmarked from an early age as a special talent," which showed in his early days storming the senior stage. Tributes to the back-rower flooded in via social media, with numerous referring to Leavy as a "legend of Irish rugby" despite his relatively short career at Test level.
"I knew that he wasn't right" O'Driscoll told Mirror Sport while promoting BT Sport's coverage of the upcoming Champions Cup knockout stages. "I met him at the Aviva [Stadium] after the Scotland game [during this year's Six Nations].
"I remember hearing at the time of the [2019] injury that it was one of the most horrific injuries the doc had seen on the rugby field. And so any recovery from something that's going to keep you out for that long is going to have an impact.
"It's such a dog-eat-dog world now, with the calibre of players, that you just have to be lightyears ahead if you're operating at 90 or 85 per cent, particularly in the back row. That's very, very disappointing from his [and Leinster's] perspective. You feel for the guy."
O'Driscoll went on to state his disappointment at the news and wished Leavy "good luck in the next part of life." The retiring star has already made moves in that regard, having founded Ogham Irish Whiskey alongside his brother, Adam, who plays for Ireland sevens.
Leinster are currently preparing to visit rivals Connacht on Friday in the first leg of their last-16 clash in this season's Champions Cup. The current United Rugby Championship leaders have always been favourites to edge the encounter, though Leavy's unexpected departure from the squad is sure to provide extra motivation.
BT Sport is the home of European Rugby Champions Cup. The 2021/22 season continues with a weekend full of games, including Leinster v Connacht live on BT Sport 1 at 7.15pm on Friday 8 th April. Find out more information on how to watch at BT Sport bt.com/sport
