A CAREER OFF THE PITCH? WE TRY!

IBut as he gets ready to enjoy fatherhood — he and his wife Sheena are expecting their first child — his exit is a stark reminder of how fickle the fortunes of our top rugby players can be. And inevitably, it raises the question of what former rugby players do for a living (and to keep them out of the house!) once they’ve hung up their boots.

Some, of course, have taken to punditry, such as Shane Horgan; others, like Ronan O’Gara, are trying to make it as coaches. Others may want to find ways of investing the money they earned during their rugby careers: after all, it has to last them more than half of their lives.

So here we reveal what some of their former team-mates have chosen to do with life after the final whistle has blown on their sporting careers... RELAND rugby legend Jamie Heaslip recently announced his retirement from rugby at the age of just 34, after failing to overcome a back injury.