AFTER 15 YEARS in the blue of Leinster, Rhys Ruddock can see the finish line. Earlier this week the back row forward announced he will retire at the end of the season and while the decision was made some time ago, the reality will hit home over the coming weeks.
Tomorrow’s URC meeting with Connacht will be Ruddock’s last game at the RDS and depending on how selection goes in the URC knockouts, it could even be his final game for the province.
Ruddock’s love for the club was evident as he sat down to chat about his impending retirement earlier this week – his relationship with Leinster starting long before he signed a contract given his father’s close ties with the province.
The 33-year-old was born in Dublin to an Irish mother and Welsh father but the family soon moved to Wales. By the team he was approaching his teens the Ruddocks had again moved to Dublin and back. At 16 he relocated to England and he was back in Dublin as he turned 18, ready to begin his pro career with Leinster. There were opportunities to move to back to Wales along the way but Ruddock stayed put, and will retire a one-club man.
“When we were here [growing up in Ireland] it was Leinster and always a fan from afar,” says Ruddock.
The great Johnny O’Hagan [Leinster kit man], every time they came over to play a Welsh team he would stop by the house to see my dad and mum and give me a load of Leinster gear, so I had so much Leinster gear walking around in Swansea.
“Then when I got into the [Leinster] senior squad I saw Johnny’s friendly face. I said, ‘Johnny, my shorts don’t fit me, any chance of a bigger pair’ and he said ‘f-off and get your own shorts’… So I was thinking this guy gave me as much kit as I wanted when I was a kid living in Wales and I can’t get anything off him when I’m in the squad!”
Ruddock played underage rugby with Ospreys and then spent two years in an English boarding school when his father, Mike, took on a job with Worcester. The link with Leinster – who Mike coached between 1997-2000 – always remained strong, with Rhys training with the Leinster Academy during family visits back to Ireland. During his time in England Ruddock was approached to play for the Ireland U20s and the path to playing pro rugby for Leinster opened up.
To date, he’s played 228 games for the club and won 27 caps for Ireland, captaining both teams.
And yet he’s comfortable with the decision to step away, a burgeoning coaching career offering something to look forward to after hanging up the jersey. Ruddock has coached the Lansdowne U20s and did some work with the Leinster Schools U18s last summer. Next season he’ll step up to coach the Lansdowne seniors and hopes to secure a role with a schools team, all with an eye to building his way up to coaching in the pro ranks. As the coaching demands increased, the balancing act as a player became more difficult.
“I don’t think it’s manageable to keep doing the two. I definitely feel it has taken its toll on my energy levels so I guess what I am saying is that I have been enjoying the coaching more and more, putting more time into it.
“I haven’t played as much this year and the body feels relatively good, and to get out while the body feels good is a real positive. I feel maybe to be able to perform at the top level every week, there is a few issues that wouldn’t allow me to consistently do that. So with all that taken into consideration it just felt like the timing was right for me.
We’re also expecting our first baby in five weeks’ time so we’ve got a lot of exciting times ahead. I just felt I have so much to look forward to with the next chapter. It is always going to be a tough thing to walk away from but I don’t really see a better time.
“I I feel like I have had the decision to make since October and it probably took me until March-April and that was stressful. I wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was, I went back and forth between the two I felt that I would be at peace and wanting to just get out and play and get to the end. I don’t want to wish it away and look back too much.”
Winning a URC title would offer an ideal way to sign off and while Ruddock is determined to focus on the here and now, the retirement announcement and flood of messages which followed allowed for some reflection.
“Sometimes I have been harsh and too critical on myself but when I saw some of the stuff in the statement there is definitely so much that I have achieved and I will be hugely proud of.
“I probably would never have dreamed of playing this many times for Leinster. I always knew as a young kid I wanted to play at the top level, from six years old or whatever. Playing international rugby and being as good as I could be was always the goal but playing this long at Leinster, one of the best clubs in the world, and to captain Leinster and Ireland, those are things that I would have never imagined doing.
“I’d say I will be hugely proud when I do look back. I’ve loved every minute to be honest.”
There’s still a trophy to play for, but Ruddock acknowledges that Friday’s meeting with Connacht could be the full stop on his playing career.
“It is a special occasion, who knows if it will the last time I put on the jersey or certainly at the RDS.
“I think I will be emotional, hopefully I can try and channel the emotion into a good individual performance and hopefully give energy to the team. I am just going to try and embrace it and enjoy it.”
