It’s game over as rugby great Stringer retires at 40
FORMER Ireland and Munster rugby scrum-half Peter Stringer has announced his retirement at the age of 40.
After leaving Munster in 2013, following loan moves to Newcastle and Saracens, Stringer played with a host of other English teams, including Bath, Sale, and Worcester.
He left Worcester Warriors in December of last year and returned to Ireland.
In a statement on Twitter, Stringer said: ‘From the age of five all I ever dreamed of doing was playing rugby. I cannot describe how it feels to have lived that dream for nearly all of my life.
‘The journey has been an uncompromising obsession filled with memories I will cherish forO’Gara ever... To the coaches who never saw my size as disadvantageous, thank you. To my teammates who motivated and inspired me, thank you. To my parents and brothers, I could have not reached my goals with you.’
He also thanked the clubs in England he played for after leaving Munster for the ‘opportunity to continue playing the game I love’.
However, Stringer said that his proudest days still remain representing Ireland and Munster on the rugby pitch.
He was a regular fixture on the Ireland and Munster teams for much of the early 2000s. His partnership with Munster teammate Ronan was the focal point of the Irish squad for years. He was eventually edged out of the No.9 position by Munster teammate Tomás O’Leary.
During his long career he was capped over 200 times with Munster and 98 times with Ireland making him the country’s most capped international scrum-half.
With Munster, he won two Heineken Cups, in 2006 and 2008. With Ireland, he won three Triple Crowns and was part of the team that won the Grand Slam in 2009.
In his announcement, Stringer paid tribute to his wife Debbie, whom he married in 2015.
‘Thank you to Debbie my wife, for the last 10 years. When I faced difficult decisions you... backed me every step of the way,’ he said.