ROR EMOTION
Tearful Best says he’ll quit ALL rugby after World Cup
WATCHING Rory Best, Ireland captain and a gladiator of world rugby, succumb to tears in the company of his young family was a sobering sight.
But there the Ulster titan sat yesterday lunchtime, struggling to retain his composure, sport and raw emotion colliding in a corporate suite of the Kingspan Stadium. And who could blame him.
After 219 Ulster caps, 117 Ireland appearances, two Grand Slams and a wealth of memories to last several lifetimes, it was time to confront the impending plunge of the final curtain. Time to confront the fact his time as an Ulster player will end next month. Flanked by wife Jodie and their three children Ben, Poppy and Richie, Best stared at the stark reality that his glowing CV will be complete after this year’s World Cup. He probably didn’t imagine it would be this difficult, but in front of the media, his eyes welled and his voice trembled. Several times he paused for breath. This is what retirement does to you when you’ve devoted your life to the sport.
A poignant sign also of what Ulster rugby means to Rory Best.
“It’s a difficult thing to come out and say, but it feels like the right time,” he said.
“I’m emotional, but I’m not sad. I’m really happy with everything I’ve done in an Ulster shirt. I always wanted to leave on my terms and finish when I felt I was at the top of my game.
“I am glad to be here now and fairly proud of what I have achieved. There just comes a time, doesn’t there.”
Best, who hopes to recover from injury to feature for Ulster in next month’s Pro14 playoffs, wrestled with his decision but says it was a “relief ” to bring clarity on his future, a “hot topic” for several months now.
With Ulster showing positive signs under Dan Mcfarland, he also wishes he was younger than his 36 years, but time waits for no man.
“I don’t know if I can go through this again,” he smiled. “I was fairly sure six months ago and then there were little things like Jack Mcgrath signing.
“Also the way we performed at the end of Europe and going so well (against
Leinster) in the quarters.
You go ‘I want to play in these’.
“I was positive six months ago, fairly sure three months ago and two or three hours before this, I wasn’t sure, but that’s the way it is.” Asked for the highlights of his Ulster career, Best’s eyes watered once more, his memory flickering back to 2004 when he made his debut as a 22-year-old. “Your first cap is the big one,” he said. “To play alongside my brother (Simon) for a team you have supported so long was very special. “You can pick any number of Leicester games and the Munster (Heineken Cup) quarter-final in 2012 was also a big one, there have been so many.
“It’s hard to believe rugby has given me so much and when I first put on an Ulster shirt you don’t ever dream you might go this far.”
Best paid a final heartfelt tribute to his family. Without their support, the career that gifted him a place in Irish rugby history wouldn’t have been possible.
“They have sacrificed a lot and their support has been invaluable in helping me have the success I’ve had ,” he said.