Shane Jennings has announced he will retire from rugby at the end of the current season.
The Leinster openside flanker said that the possibility of retiring had been on his mind for a while.
"The decision hasn't been taken lightly," Jennings said.
The 33-year-old Dubliner has been an influential force during two spells with Leinster and for Ireland.
Jennings, who will captain the province on Friday evening on what will be his 204th cap, will become the third most capped Leinster player when he leads the team out in the RDS against Zebre and is behind only Leo Cullen and Gordon D'Arcy.
Thanks everybody for kind messages. Decision not taken lightly. Grateful to be part of such a great club & team @leinsterrugby @OLSCRugby
— Shane Jennings (@ShaneJenningsLR) February 19, 2015
Jennings made his debut for the province against the Glasgow Warriors in September 2002 and has since gone on to win seven major trophies with Leinster including three Heineken Cups, three Pro12 titles and an Amlin Cup.
He also spent two seasons with the Leicester Tigers, winning the league in 2007.
Jennings was capped 13 times by Ireland, scoring one try, and made his last appearance against Scotland in the 2012 Six Nations.
So far this season he has played six times for Leinster in the Pro12, scoring two tries, one against Connacht and another against Munster.
