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15
ULSTERRUGBY
UlsterBranch
WOMEN’S RUGBY
DAVITT ANNOUNCES
INTERNATIONAL RETIREMENT
Davitt, who made her Ireland debut back
in 2005 against Spain, is certain it was the
right time to make such a decision. “I played
international rugby for a long time and I’ve just
come to a stage in my life where I’m unable to
continue with the level of commitment required.
I made the hard decision to finish on a high
after the World Cup this year. To play the hosts
France in the 3rd/4th place play-off in front of
20,000 people and live on TV was a great way
to remember my last game,” she said.
That was one of many career highlights, but
Davitt admits it’s an impossible task to pick
her favourite moment in the green jersey: “You
obviously take a lot of pride in your first cap
and playing that game against Spain in Madrid
in 2005 was huge for me. Then to continue
on and win a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2013
was amazing, I never even dreamed that could
happen. Walking out in the Aviva Stadium for
my 50th cap was another proud day. To have
my family and friends in Marcoussis for the
World Cup win over New Zealand was just
amazing; they had come to games over the
years when we were getting hammered 70-0
against England or 50-0 against France. And
obviously to play in the semi-final of a World
Cup was a major highlight.”
There is no shortage of highs, and a few lows,
throughout the last decade for Davitt, and she
has experienced plenty of change too: “The
women’s game is almost unrecognisable from
when I started playing. We bought our own
tracksuits back in the day and we only had
three or four training sessions before a big Six
Nations game. Now the team is fully kitted out
and the girls are training daily. There is also a
physio, a nutritionist and a video analyst, so it’s
a lot more professional.
“Now some of the girls are paid to play 7s
rugby, like Ashleigh Baxter and Nikki Caughey
from Ulster who have signed professional terms
with the IRFU. It’s amazing when you consider
that it actually cost us money to play rugby for
our country back at the start.”
With young players like Baxter and Caughey
coming through the ranks, and with increased
investment in the female game, Davitt is
adamant the future of women’s rugby in Ireland
is in safe hands: “The more support you get
behind the scenes the more successful you’re
going to be. It’s a new era for women’s rugby
and especially with the Irish team; there’s plenty
of new faces coming in to take over from some
of the older players.”
Rugby is without doubt a special game and
Davitt was quick to praise the social side of the
Cooke and Ulster centre Grace Davitt announced her retirement from
Ireland duty last month, bringing a memorable ten-year international
career to an end.
sport. “I just love rugby. I started as a Gaelic
footballer and I played any sport that I could
possibly put my hand to, but once I tried rugby
that was it. The camaraderie you get from rugby
is great - you can go anywhere in the world and
play rugby and make friends instantly. I know
when I first moved up to Ulster, all I did was
spend time with my friends from Cooke.”
Having helped the Cooke Women return to All
Ireland Division 1 with a win over Carlow in the
Division 2 play-off final a forthnight ago, Davitt
is now focusing on enjoying her club rugby. “It’s
very hard to hang up your boots completely.
We’ve got back to where we want to be in
Division 1 but that’s only the starting point. We
want to be a team to be reckoned with and it’s
now that the hard work begins.”
Following the announcement of her retirement
on Twitter, scores of tributes poured in on the
social media site, highlighting her significant
contribution to women’s rugby. But with her
continuing involvement in the game at club and
provincial level, that contribution is far from over.