One of the good guys
County Clare has a bit of tradition when it comes to producing rugby players, and especially down in the South-East of the county. Anthony Foley,Keith Wood and Damien Varley all got to wear the red of Munster and green of Ireland during their career.
Wood and Foley went on to become legends for both sides, but for Varley his career came to a shuddering halt earlier this year when he was forced to quit the game at 31.
The hooker revealed that he had to quit due to a left foot injury he sustained at a training session in July 2013. He has three caps for Ireland and made 121 appearances for the province, scoring 12 tries. He was called into Ireland’s squad for the 2011 World Cup following a calf injury to Munster teammate Jerry Flannery.
Now the Clare man has spoken to TG4 about how he’s finding life as an ex-pro and the challenges he faced when deciding he could no longer play rugby. The former front-row explains his devastation at having to quit, and how he is coping when going to rugby games now as a supporter and not a player.
