SAM WHITELOCK, THE most capped player in All Blacks history, will retire from professional rugby at the end of the current club season in France.
Whitelock, a 35-year-old lock, played 153 times for New Zealand and won two World Cups.
He is currently playing for Pau in France’s Top 14.
“I’ve been having a few conversations with my wife Hannah and the kids around what the future looks like for us. And it’s time to finish the playing chapter of rugby,” Whitelock said in an All Blacks statement.
“I think if you talk to anyone who has played for a long time, that desire (to compete) never leaves, it’s just that stage of life when you move on.”
Whitelock was the youngest All Black to play in 100 Tests and the quickest in the world to achieve the milestone.
His overall appearance record places him second only to Alun Wyn Jones of Wales on the all-time list of most-capped internationals.
Unbelievable how they are unable to transfer any of their incredible success at Minor Level to Senior level, their record at Minor level is off the wall. This is a county that had never won a Minor Championship until 1983, now I think that is their 14th title, where do all these players disappear to?
@The Firestarter: Beertown
@The Firestarter: straight into all Ireland semi final for majority of those years. Not battle hardened?
@The Firestarter: The seniors have been in 6 all Ireland finals since the turn of the millennium so the players haven’t disappeared. Mayo footballers have zero all Irelands in that time but no one would argue that they haven’t been one of the best football teams in the country over the last 20 years.
Well done to our young lads . Making history again .
@Finnster:Just wondering how ye made history again with minors?
@Declan Lacey: Well 3 in a row was history previously for Galway Minor hurling when they became only one of two counties in Ireland the other being Cork back in the 70′s to achieve it.
Also on a side note as the new U20 All Ireland football championship is not that old I think Galway are also the only county to hold it and the minor Hurling Championship at the same time as they defeated Dublin in the final.
@Declan Lacey: read the article , the clues are there
@Declan Lacey:
Probably the most successful minor hurling team of each decade by number of All-Ireland Minor Hurling titles
2000s: 4 for Galway (2000-04-05-09)
2010s: 5 for Galway (2011-15-17-18-19)
Jesus the ref did his best for kilkenny to win it. Great win tonight
Congrats to a fine young Galway team. A lot of senior teams would want take note of that game today. All skills of game on show and no diving or pussyfooting about.
@Mervyn Queally: none of that Limerick Bish bash bosh stuff
@Mervyn Queally: have to agree, he gave a penalty to Kilkenny rightly so , shortly afterwards a Galway forward was taken down in the same fashion, nothing given. With a couple of minutes left a Galway forward was taken out, if the tackle was made in rugby it would be yellow or red card. The referee threw in the ball.
Great achievement! well done to the the tribesmen braves.
1 senior all Ireland since 88, what goes wrong in the west. Serious talent.
@Kevin Shortall: is that a congratulations you were trying to say there in a Kilkenny kind of way
@Kevin Shortall: 3 since 86 though and lost 6 all-ireland finals since then. Not bad for a traditionally football county.