Retiring Leinster star Dempsey keen to end with Magners title

SHANE HORGAN and Alan Gaffney led the tributes yesterday for Girvan Dempsey who is to retire from professional rugby at the end of the month.

The Terenure full-back won 82 caps for Ireland and has played over twice that many times (174) for Leinster in a career in which he won Magners League, Heineken Cup and Triple Crown honours.

“One of the things Girv and I spoke about in early 2000 was never die wondering, and I don’t think he has,” said Gaffney who has enjoyed two spells coaching with the province.

“He is a fantastic athlete. He has got an enormous skill level but, more importantly, he has one of the best rugby brains I have encountered.”

Horgan spoke about how Dempsey’s abilities under the high ball stood out even in the mid-1990s when both were cutting their teeth with Leinster under Mike Ruddock.

Dempsey’s mind also went back to his first tentative steps in the game. When he started out, club rugby was the biggest show in town. Back then, Leinster struggled to fill the 7,500-capacity Donnybrook. Now they attract 15-20,000 to the RDS every second week and have over 10,000 season ticket holders.

Dempsey said: “The game itself has evolved as well. It is actually scary to see some of the young guys coming through, the weights they can lift in the gym and the skill levels they have. The game is certainly evolving.”

Dempsey consulted friends, family and both Michael Cheika and Leinster chief executive Mick Dawson before reaching his decision. The highlights include Ireland’s win over England’s world champions in Twickenham in 2004, when he scored a memorable try, as well as England’s first visit to Croke Park in 2007.

Dempsey intends to go out by winning the Magners League.

“I am as hungry as ever. It is a case of our destiny being in our own hands with this game against Edinburgh on Sunday in order to achieve that home semi-final in the Magners League.”

Dempsey is joined in the Leinster squad by Jonathan Sexton, although the injured Ireland out-half is unlikely to start at the weekend. One definite non-starter is Shane Jennings who picked up an ankle knock against Toulouse but fellow flanker, Sean O’Brien returns to the squad.

LEINSTER squad (v Edinburgh): Forwards: L Cullen, J Fogarty, C Healy, J Heaslip, N Hines, Stephen Keogh, K McLaughlin, S O’Brien, M O’Kelly, M Ross, R Ruddock, D Ryan, R Strauss, CJ van der Linde, S Wright.

Backs: S Berne, G D’Arcy, G Dempsey, S Horgan, R Kearney, Simon Keogh, I Madigan, F McFadden, I Nacewa, P O’Donohoe, B O’Driscoll, E O’Malley, E Reddan, J Sexton.