'It's been one hell of a journey' - Leinster's Rhys Ruddock to retire

Leinster back-row Rhys Ruddock has confirmed he will retire from rugby at the end of the season.

The 33-year-old will retire as one of the province's most decorated players, having played 228 games for Leinster since his debut in 2009, leaving him fifth in the their all-time list.

The son of former Leinster and Wales head coach Mike, Ruddock was born in Dublin and grew up in Wales, before joining the Leinster academy and making his debut for the province against the Dragons.

Ruddock was called up to the Ireland senior squad as a 19-year-old on the summer tour of Australia in 2010 by then-coach Declan Kidney, making his debut against the Wallabies in Brisbane.

The flanker was part of Ireland's 2014 Six Nations winning squad, winning 27 caps, the last of which came against France in 2021. He also featured in the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups.

"This has been an incredibly difficult decision to make. To retire from playing the game you love isn't easy, however, after 15 years of professional rugby, I feel the time is right for me now and I’m excited for the next chapter," Ruddock said.

"Supporting the Leinster team in Donnybrook as an eight-year-old, while my dad was coach, I could only have dreamed about putting on a Leinster jersey myself. To go on to play my whole career with this team has been a dream come true."

Ruddock captained Ireland at various stages during his career, and was also Leinster's youngest every captain when he skippered the province against Aironi as a 20-year-old.

In his time at Leinster, the versatile forward has been part of six URC title winnings squads, while also winning three Champions Cup titles and a Challenge Cup.

He has been used sparingly by Leinster this season, featuring just seven times, and