Ulster body blow as Maguire forced to quit

NEW ULSTER centre Mike Maguire has been forced to retire at the age of 24 after club medics discovered he was suffering from a degenerative hip disorder.

The New Zealander, who only joined Ulster at the beginning of July, was unaware of the condition and had never experienced anything more than stiffness in the joint.

But the Ulster medical staff noticed the problem during his medical and subsequent scans have revealed Maguire has had the condition since birth.

Maguire risked serious arthritis if he continued to play so decided to retire from all rugby.

Ulster coach Mark McCall said: “We’re very disappointed to lose Mike from the squad. He’s settled in and trained very well since the start of pre-season, however, he must look to his long-term future and we fully support his decision to retire from rugby.”

Maguire, who has a finance and economics degree, has decided to remain living in Belfast with his girlfriend Emma.

“Retiring from rugby has been an incredibly tough decision to make [but] both Emma and I intend to make the most of our opportunity to take in all the experiences that come with living in a new country,” said Maguire.

*lEngland’s clubs must release their players for the November 5 Test against New Zealand after a High Court judge ruled in favour of the Rugby Football Union yesterday.

But Judge Mackie urged the feuding parties to avoid instigating further litigation by reaching an agreement on any remaining issues outside of court.

Premier Rugby Limited, the umbrella organisation for the 12 Guinness Premiership clubs, initiated legal proceedings in response to the RFU’s decision to arrange an extra Test to mark the opening of the new South Stand at Twickenham.

A full round of Premiership fixtures is scheduled for the same weekend and the clubs were angered by the prospect of losing their big names to another international.

But Mackie, basing his decision on a strict interpretation of the 2001 Long-Form Agreement, found in the RFU’s favour.