Leinster's Dan Leavy has retired with immediate effect after further complications from the knee injury he suffered in 2019.
The 27-year-old flanker was sidelined for 19 months, from late March 2019 until October 2020, after suffering a horrendous knee injury in his province's Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final win against Ulster at the Aviva Stadium.
His comeback in 2020 was cut short after three months, when further knee surgery forced him to miss the rest of the season.
And while he returned for the current campaign, a series of minor injuries limited him to just seven games, the last of which also came against Ulster last month.
However, while he had not been on the official injury list in recent weeks, it would appear he suffered another setback with his knee, with the province saying he's been advised to retire immediately.
"I have done everything I can to come back from the knee injury I suffered in 2019 but unfortunately I can't do any more or ask any more of my body," Leavy said in a statement.
"I'd like to thank Andy Williams, my surgeon, and Karl Denvir, my physio in Leinster, for all that they have done for me in the years since then. I can take solace from the fact that I tried everything over the last three years.
"I am very proud of all that I achieved in my short time as a professional.
"Some amazing highs with my brothers in blue and in green and I am beyond grateful for those days and those moments especially the highs of 2018 in Bilbao, the Aviva Stadium and Twickenham.
"More than that I am proud of how I carried myself, in particular over the last few years, and I hope I represented my club, my country, my family and friends to the best of my abilities in those years. I am beyond grateful to them all for their support and in particular to my mum and dad, Eilish and Donal, my sister, Rachel, and my brother, Adam.
"I am also very grateful to Leo Cullen. Leo has been an unbelievable support to me over the last few years. On the field, and off, and I cannot thank him enough.
"Not many people get to enjoy and experience what I have over the last ten years representing my school, my club and my country.
"This is not the end I had hoped for, but as I look back, at the highs and the lows, they have all been shared with the best team-mates, family and friends around me, and what more could I ask for?"
In total, Leavy played 79 times for Leinster, 16 of those coming since his his injury three years ago.
He also earned 11 Ireland caps since is debut in against Canada in 2016, and was one of Ireland's standout players during the 2018 Six Nations Grand Slam triumph.
As well as a Six Nations medal, Leavy also retires with a Champions Cup winners medal from 2018, while he also featured in three United Rugby Championship-winning campaigns for his province.
Leinster Rugby head coach Leo Cullen said, "Dan was a player earmarked from an early age as a special talent and I think everyone could see that, particularly in those few years in and around 2017, '18 and '19, just how dynamic and destructive a player he could be with Leinster and with Ireland where he went on to achieve unprecedented success at that time.
"While the public have seen very little of Dan since his injury, we have seen plenty of him in here and we have seen the same determination, character and drive that marked him out on the pitch as one of the best.
"Dan has also received incredible support from his family and all the medical staff here along the difficult path of trying to return to playing."
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