New Ulster centre Mike Maguire has been forced to retire at the age of 24 after club medics discovered he was suffering from a degenerative hip disorder.
The New Zealander, who only joined Ulster at the beginning of July, was unaware of the condition and had never experienced anything more than stiffness in the joint.
But the Ulster medical staff noticed the problem during his medical and subsequent scans have revealed Maguire has had the condition since birth.
Maguire risked serious arthritis if he continued to play so decided to retire from all rugby.
Ulster coach Mark McCall said: 'We're very disappointed to lose Mike from the squad. He's settled in and trained very well since the start of pre-season however he must look to his long-term future and we fully support his decision to retire from rugby.'
Maguire, who has a finance and economics degree, has decided to remain living in Belfast with his girlfriend Emma.
'Retiring from rugby has been an incredibly tough decision to make [but] both Emma and I intend to make the most of our opportunity to take in all the experiences that come with living in a new country,' said Maguire.
