Peter Stringer has today announced his retirement from professional rugby. Having spent 15 seasons at Munster, Stringer played with a host of clubs in England, namely Sale Sharks, Bath, Newcastle and Saracens and Worcester Warriors, with whom he played his final game in December. Stringer's time with Worcester meant, remarkably, that he played professional rugby until the age of 40.
Stringer made 98 appearances for Ireland, with his final appearance coming in the 2011 Six Nations, playing in in a 24-8 win against England.
Stringer released the following statement to confirm the news:
From the age of five, all I ever dreamed of doing was playing rugby. I cannot describe how it feels to have lived that dream for nearly all my life.
The journey has been an uncompromising obsession filled with memories I will cherish forever.
To the coaches who never saw my size as disadvantageous, thank you. To my teammates who motivated and inspired me, thank you. To my parents and brothers, I could not have reached my goals without you.
Thank you to my clubs in England - Saracens, Newcastle, Bath, Sale and Worcester who gave me an opportunity to continue playing the game I love.
However, my proudest days on a rugby field came from wearing the red of Munster and the green of Ireland and will remain with me for the rest of my life. To those supporters, you are incredible people who stood by me and cheered for me no matter who I played for and for that, I will be forever grateful.
Lastly, thank you to Debbie my wife, for the last 10 years when I faced some difficult decisions, you were there for me and backed me every step of the way.
Here’s to the next chapter.
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