SIMON ZEBO WILL retire from rugby at the end of the season.
The Corkman is Munster’s record try-scorer, with 72 in 173 appearances to date. He made his Munster debut in 2010, just after his 20th birthday. Since then he has also represented Racing 92, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions.
“After much thought, I’ve decided that this season will be my last playing the game I love,” 34-year-old Zebo said.
“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.”
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 rugby 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 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 Six 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. He scored 25 tries in 60 appearances for the French club over three seasons.
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.
There are a lot of columns on this player across every outlet but none ever seem to address what exactly her concerns are and/or what would it take to get her to play for Norway again. It appears it started due to the Norway womens team not getting the same treatment as the mens team so proper order in putting their foot down until they got that, but as far as it was reported the Norwegians addressed that issue fairly comprehensively and yet she still won’t play.
Problem is that it doesn’t bring in as much money as the men’s game. You can expect to play in front of a fraction of the crowd and still expect the same money. That said, previous stories of the FAI expecting women’s teams to hand back gear and be out of pocket for representing their country is crazy. If the women’s game generates as much money, they should be paid accordingly, but as things stand, it doesn’t.
@Rocky: expenses being equal should be a given. The national team is the national team regardless of gender. There was a time the irish women got about €30 a day per diem while on international duty or at training camp etc which might not sound much but when you are taking your annual leave from working in the type of job a 21 or 22 year old might have it was nice to have. Of course the Big Cheese pulled that rug out from under them disgracefully.
@Rocky: But most are not talking about appearance money they’re talking about the basics. Proper kit, proper medical, proper training facilities, showcasing, insurance, and decent expenses. In many cases the latter is way more important as they don’t earn nearly as much as your average Male player…and if they are representing their country, which for most will be the height of media exposure, all of the above is the least they should be getting