Several prominent international rugby players are unlikely to represent their countries in future matches following their elimination from the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Ireland’s hopes of World Cup glory were dashed by New Zealand, marking the second consecutive tournament in which the All Blacks triumphed over them in the quarter-finals.
This victory paved the way for a semi-final clash with Argentina, who eliminated Wales.
In the following section, we will highlight five players who are expected to either retire from international rugby altogether or not feature for their national teams in the future.
#1. Johnny Sexton
Sexton will now retire as Ireland’s record points scorer but he could not lead his side to a first last-four tie.
“You’ve got to work hard for fairytale endings and we didn’t get it but that’s life,” said an emotional Sexton.
The fly-half is now set to leave rugby behind for a brand new career.
Sexton said: “coaching would inevitably alter the dynamic between me and my fellow players. So, coaching is not in my foreseeable future.”
“Rugby has been my lifelong passion, a part of me for two decades or even longer, going back to my childhood. Yet, I believe it’s essential to step away from it and explore new avenues in life. Only time will reveal what the future holds.”
“I’ll go and see if I can do something in the business world, I’ve been doing a bit of work experience there over the last few years, one day a week, so I’ll go into that and see how it goes.
“It might not be for me. I might get the itch straight away and come out of retirement, play for St Marys!”
The previous year saw a significant rise in accumulated profits at the management company owned by Johnny Sexton, the renowned rugby captain of Ireland.
The profits surged by nearly £307,000, reaching an impressive total of almost £2.5m.