Ex-Leinster centre Conor O'Brien forced to retire due to hamstring injury

Former Leinster centre Conor O'Brien has been forced to retire from rugby due to injury.

The 26-year-old made his Leinster debut in 2017 and went on to make 24 appearances for the province.

Fourteen of those appearances came in the 2018/19 season, with O’Brien scoring six tries, but his progress was hampered by a consistent hamstring injury.

The Mullingar native left Leinster at the end of last season, with his final game coming against the Dragons in the United Rugby Championship last October.

"It’s a very difficult decision to make or more to the point, a very difficult conversation to have with the medics but over the last few years we left no stone unturned in Leinster Rugby to try to get myself back to where I felt I should be," said O’Brien.

"I’d like to wholeheartedly thank my physiotherapist Karl Denvir and the team doctor John Ryan for all their help.

"There are so many highs as an athlete but definitely there are lows as well and the team off the pitch of doctors and physios are brilliant because they pick us up from our lowest, time and time again. I can’t thank them enough."

O’Brien played for Mullingar RFC and came through the Shane Horgan Cup system into the Leinster Rugby pathway. He played with the province’s underage teams and also represented Ireland at U20 level.

O’Brien completed an economics degree while at Leinster and has begun a new chapter with a digital transformation company in Dublin.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said: "The last few years have been hugely frustrating for Conor and it's very disappointing the way that it has ended for him.

"I know Conor and our medical team worked incredibly hard and no stone was left unturned but sometimes despite everyone’s best efforts, it doesn’t work out the way