"Earning his wings" - Former Scotland captain confirms he's becoming a pilot

The 32-year-old, who has captained Scotland and earned 47 international caps, will play his final game on Friday in the United Rugby Championship match against Ulster. His retirement comes as he prepares to embark on an exciting new chapter in his life, one that he has been planning for the past decade.

McInally has been a mainstay of the Edinburgh rugby team since he made his debut in 2010. His 176 appearances for the club put him sixth on the all-time list, and he has been a fan favourite throughout his career.

However, he has always had a keen interest in flying and has been working towards his private pilot's licence since 2013. Now, after years of hard work and dedication, he is ready to take the next step and become a commercial airline pilot.

McInally admits that retiring from rugby has been a tough decision, but he is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. "It was really tough knowing this was the moment to move on," he said.

"I always thought it would be really easy to retire because I've always known what I want to do after rugby - become a pilot - but stepping away from the club I love is massive, and it's been a huge decision."

While he will officially retire when his contract ends in November, McInally is ready to start his new career as soon as possible. He is eager to begin his training and start working towards his goal of becoming a commercial airline pilot. "While I'm obviously sad to be moving on, this decision has really been 10 years in the making," he said. "I'm now massively excited to pursue a career as a commercial airline pilot."

Here’s some of the most prominent rugby players to have made waves in business.

After confirming his retirement, Hogg said in a statement: "A new career beckons and I will attack in the same manner as I play the game."

The Scotland legend has revealed he isn't too keen on coaching, but will remain in the game as a pundit after making his debut on BBC during the 2023 Six Nations.

Sources tell RUCK that BT Sport (soon to be TNT Sports) are keen. to recruit the fullback as a key part of their 2023/24 Premiership coverage.

He is the co-owner of steak house Finsbay Flatiron in Glasgow.

The focus for Finsbay Flatiron is steak, specialising in 8oz flat irons (as the name suggests) and steaks from £8 on weekdays and £10 on weekends, as well as sides like mac and cheese and triple cooked chips.

He's a director of a distillery named Maiden Batch.

Caulker's is a collaborative effort between five Glasgow men, two of whom happen to be British Lions and Scotland rugby internationals, Hogg and Alastair Kellock. The bottle is signed by all five.

The veteran fly-half, who will hang up his boots following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, confirmed in an interview with the Irish Times that he likely won't go into coaching.

Sexton said: "I would never say never, you never know what life is going to throw at you

“It wouldn’t be my plan straight away, if an offer came in, it wouldn’t be right for me to coach with guys I played with the last number of years.

"I certainly wouldn’t want to jeopardise this year, because if they find out you’re coaching them, the relationship changes straight away. I won’t be doing it for the foreseeable future.

"Rugby is my passion, it’s all I’ve known. I’ve been doing it for 20 years, longer maybe, when I was a kid. But I think it’s important to step away from it to try another walk of life. And then we’ll see what happens."

“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.

The England and Exeter Chiefs winger is the co-owner of The Swordfish Inn back in his hometown of Cornwall.

Sitting on the harbourfront, the pub has been a favourite of local fishermen, artists and visitors alike for as long as anyone cares to remember and is well-known for its rugged charm and atmosphere.

He is also a director of .

Established in 2003 by the Rugby World Cup Winner & MBE, Raging Bull clothing has grown from grassroots rugby to a brand that punches well above its weight having supplied sportswear to national and international level sides.

Vickery also opened Cheltenham based restaurant No.3 nine years after the former prop won Celebrity Masterchef. With a passion for food and people, Vickery can’t wait to welcome you all to No.3 for a truly memorable dining experience. 

Making a Tuilagi Gin was often talked about in the early hours of the morning by the brothers after many gin and tonics. As there are fifteen players on the rugby pitch, they have added fifteen botanicals to their gin.

Some of the botanicals they use in their recipe are; Juniper, Coriander, Orris, Sage, Thyme, Mac cloves, Lavender, Rose and Orange peel.