#3. Keith Earls
It was believed that the 36-year-old Earls, who commenced the tournament by earning his 101st cap in the opening pool game against Romania but hasn’t featured in the match-day 23 since, would make a similar decision. Speaking after the match, head coach Andy Farrell confirmed the Limerick man’s choice.
“I think the sad thing for us now is that for this group it’s probably the end,” he told RTÉ Sport.
Earls made his Ireland debut against Canada in 2008 at Thomond Park, where he scored a try just two minutes into his international career with his first touch of the ball.
Another 35 tries would follow, and the Myross flyer started every game during Ireland’s 2018 grand slam campaign, with injury robbing him of involvement in this year’s side that also managed the clean sweep in the Six Nations.