John Muldoon Announces His Retirement From Rugby
Connacht captain John Muldoon has announced that following 17 years with the province, he is to retire at the end of the 2017/18 season. Muldoon has represented his home province over 300 times and captained Connacht to the GUINNESS PRO12 title in 2016.
Announcing his decision earlier today, John Muldoon said: “I am a proud Connacht man and I have been involved with the province for the past 17 years. I have been on an incredible journey during that time but sadly all good things come to an end and for me that time is the end of this season.
“I have been honoured and humbled to wear the Connacht jersey and particularly to be given the opportunity to captain my home province. I’d like to thank everyone at Connacht Rugby, especially coaches and players both past and present. Also, to my wife Lorna and my wonderful family for their constant support down through the years.
“The Connacht supporters have also been incredible throughout my career and have made the Sportsground a fortress where I have always been immensely proud to play and represent this fantastic province. I’m determined to finish my career on a high and for the remainder of the season I will be doing everything in my power to bring further success to Connacht.”
Paying tribute to ‘Mul’, the talismanic number 8 who turned 35 in November, Connacht Rugby CEO Willie Ruane commented: “On behalf of Connacht Rugby and indeed the people of Connacht, I would like to take this opportunity to thank John for the incredible contribution he has made both on and off the pitch and in particular the manner in which he has represented his home province over a long and illustrious career.
“During that time John has shown unwavering commitment and loyalty to Connacht Rugby and has been a leader in everything that we have been trying to achieve during that time.
“He has represented the people of Connacht with massive pride and he epitomises everything that is great about the west of Ireland. John has always remained a very humble, grounded and honest individual, someone we are proud to call one of our own.
“He is someone I am extremely proud to have worked with during my own time here. I wish him and his family all the very best in his retirement from the game and in the years beyond.”
Muldoon is Connacht’s record caps holder and the most-capped player in PRO14 history, with 247 appearances in the competition to date. The Portumna man made his Ireland debut against Canada in May 2009 and won three caps, including a start at blindside flanker against New Zealander in June 2010. He also played 11 times for the Ireland ‘A’ and Ireland Wolfhounds teams, with his debut for the Barbarians coming against Tonga at Thomond Park a couple of months ago.