Injury forces Jack McGrath to call time on stellar career

RETIRING: Jack McGrath of Ulster. Pic: Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile

Jack McGrath has brought the curtain down on a career that brought silverware with Leinster and Ireland and a key role on the British and Irish Lions tour of 2017.

The 33-year-old was released by Ulster at the end of last season and had been without a club as he strived to recover from an ongoing hip issue before he announced his retirement on Thursday morning.

"This decision has taken a considerable amount of time, it has been one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make,” McGrath said. In a statement. “The last few years have been extremely testing for myself and my family, both mentally and physically.

“I feel I have given everything to my rugby career and I have no regrets or anything left to prove. It’s been a long road of rehabilitation after two hip resurfacing operations. My main focus now is my family and I am excited for this next chapter with them.

"I am in a position now where I have a comfortable, pain-free life and can be an active dad, which I have chosen over going back to play rugby.” McGrath’s career has been plagued by injury since that Lions tour, in which he played a crucial role off the bench in all three Tests against New Zealand, and he managed just 25 appearances for Ulster in his three seasons with the club.

The earlier part of his career was awash with success. He won a Heineken Cup with his native province of Leinster as well as a Heineken Challenge Cup and three league titles during a decade spent at the club.

McGrath leaves his playing days behind having also won three Six Nations titles with Ireland during Joe Schmidt’s time in charge. He was the starting loosehead prop for four of the five games in the title-winning team of 2015.

He also wore the No.1 jersey in November of 2016 when Ireland defeated the All Blacks for the first time, in Chicago’s Soldier Field. All told, he played 56 times for his country and 145 times for Leinster before moving to Belfast.