Anna Caplice has announced her retirement from international rugby at the age of 32, having won 16 caps for Ireland.
Caplice won her first cap for Ireland back in 2016, and played at the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup, which was hosted on Irish soil.
The Cork woman played for Ireland for the last time in 2021, having missed out on this year’s Women’s Six Nations squad, and has announced on Twitter that her time in international rugby has come to end.
Anna Caplice retires from international rugby.
“Playing for Ireland has meant the absolute world to me,” Caplice wrote.
“Every second I have spent on that pitch with my teammates has been nothing short of amazing and I’m heartbroken to say that there won’t be another. The rollercoaster that led me to my first green jersey, and the journey that ensued I will never forget.
“It is an honour to be blessed with so many wonderful memories in green: singing the anthems; running on to the pitch with my friends; hearing the crowds; dragging each other through tough times in training; post-match meals with the opposition; sing-songs on the buses; changing room dance-offs; meeting young fans; not wanting to get changed out of your jersey at the end of a game because you want the feeling to last forever.
“People always ask me what it’s like to wear an Irish jersey. I can’t quite describe it. When I looked down at the crest on my heart I always thought of my family and where I was from.”
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— Anna Caplice (@bananacaplice) April 29, 2022
‘My intent to leave a legacy in Irish Rugby does not end here.’
Although she won’t be representing Ireland on the pitch any more, Caplice believes she still has an important role to play in women’s rugby in Ireland, as does her fellow former players and supporters.
“Thank you also to the supporters of women’s rugby in Ireland and everywhere. When the stadiums are sold out you will remember the beginnings of it all,” Caplice stated.
“My intent to leave a legacy in Irish Rugby does not end here. I believe that, in the current climate of the game, those of us off the pitch have just as much power as those on the pitch when it comes to steering the path of the future of women’s rugby.”