Legendary Georgian flanker Mamuka Gorgodze has confirmed his retirement from rugby after the Top14 season France was cancelled.
“It’s the worst end of career one can imagine,” said the Toulon flanker, who was due to be out of contract in the summer.
#Georgia’s Iconic player Mamuka Gorgodze retires from rugby
— Shalva Tsiskarashvili (@tsiskarashvili) May 1, 2020
Big Man.
Big Heart.
Leader.
Legend. pic.twitter.com/bdVCJtGfSW
“I have been playing pro rugby for 16 years. I gave everything for this sport and it fell really badly: between the injury and the virus… it was not the end I had imagined!
“I was injured during our first session on the new pitch at the Berg training centre. The ground was still a bit hard and it jumped. I had to have it for ten-15 days, it was nothing, but I had three recurrences… the calf is the most annoying muscle on one leg, it is constantly stressed. I was unlucky: from ten days it became a few weeks, then three months…”
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Gorgodze now plans to return home to Georgia once the lockdown restrictions are lifted in France and carve out his post-rugby career there. “I will return directly to Georgia. I think our loved ones are happy to know that we will soon return to the country.
“As a personal move, changing jobs and countries is not ideal at the moment, but again I will not complain. These things are a pebble in my shoe if we compare to the health crisis hitting the world. Besides, I take this opportunity to thank the caregivers who give their days, their weeks, their lives around the world… they are the real heroes.”
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1. Matt Giteau
“There are more important things than rugby right now,” Giteau had posted on Twitter.
Back in his homeland the 37-year-old 103-times capped Wallaby is beginning to face up to his 18-year career at the top of the game being potentially over. This is now unfortunately a realistic possibility for a player that seemed to be eternal.
