Statement: Ireland international Simon Zebo confirms he will retire at the end of the season

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Munster’s record try-scorer with 72 in 173 appearances to date, Zebo will go down as one of the best players to ever represent the province.

After much thought, I’ve decided that this season will be my last playing the game I love. It has been a dream come true, making memories and friends for life and travelling the world with amazing people.

A huge thank you to my family, friends, teammates, coaches and supporters – without ye none of this would have been possible. I am truly grateful for all the love and support over the years.

I’ve loved every second, it’s been some craic and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Lots of Love

Zeebs 🤙🏾

Zebo’s 35 Champions Cup tries are more than any other Irish player and he is third on the all-time list for tries in the competition.

His talents were first on display for PBC and Cork Constitution, winning a Pinergy Munster Schools Senior Cup in 2007 and two All Ireland Leagues in 2008 and 2010.

A huge fans favourite, he made his Munster debut as an Academy player in 2010 and helped Munster to the Magners League title the following season.

His Ireland debut followed in 2012 and he went on to score seven tries in 35 caps for his country, winning the 6 Nations in 2015 and also featuring in that year’s World Cup.

He made three appearances for the British & Irish Lions in 2013 and departed Munster for Racing 92 in 2018 after scoring 60 tries in 144 appearances.

His three years in Racing 92 were a big success as he continued his superb try-scoring record with 25 tries in 60 appearances for the French club.

Zebo returned to Munster in 2021 and has scored 13 tries in 29 appearances over the past three seasons, helping Munster to the URC title last year.

We will pay full tribute to Zebo at the end of the season but there are a huge few weeks coming up, starting with the clash against Ulster on Saturday week.

With the time in elite sport forever shortening, rugby players would be smart to look to the future and invest in businesses too, like these current and ex-pros...

When they’re not smashing each other on the pitch, rugby players with one eye on the future could do worse than taking steps into the world of business.

If they’re lucky, professionals might enjoy careers lasting about 15 years in the sport – and taking up a job as a coach or media pundit after retirement isn’t for everyone.

No sector has been left unturned by players from across all levels of the game in their investments as they seek to set themselves up for life and regain focus after hanging up their boots.

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

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 MUSTARD Clothing

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.

Cotton Traders is an English clothing company, specialising in rugby apparel and leisurewear, based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It was founded in 1987 by former England national rugby union team captains Fran Cotton and Steve Smith.

They currently operate 80 retail stores nationwide in high street, retail outlets, garden centres and travel locations. They also provide an overseas delivery service to over 25 countries, with dedicated websites for customers internationally, in Ireland and Australia.

It was from personal experiences with recovery from injuries that Kruis and former teammate Dominic Day discovered cannabidiol (CBD) and from their positive reactions with the product he set up fourfivecbd – a range of balms, oils, gels and capsules that incorporates CBD.

Their products are now sold in Next and on their website here.

Ireland star Johnny Sexton has revealed he's been doing work experience as he prepares for life after rugby later this year.

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.