For Chloe Pearse, that moment arrived at Annacotty last Saturday. After 150 appearances for UL Bohemian, countless battles in the jersey, and a remarkable career that brought Energia All-Ireland League titles, Munster honours and international recognition, the 32 year old walked off the pitch for the final time.
There was no trophy waiting to be lifted, no Aviva Stadium stage and no championship medal to collect. Instead, there was something perhaps even more fitting. A home game against Blackrock College, surrounded by teammates and friends who had become such an important part of her life.
And most importantly, there was victory. UL Bohemian defeated Blackrock 22-14, giving their inspirational captain the farewell she had quietly hoped for when she began planning her retirement.
For someone who has given so much to the club, it was a beautiful way to say goodbye. Yet Pearse admits the full significance of the occasion has not quite registered.
After almost two decades organising her life around rugby, she is still adjusting to the thought that there will be no more Tuesday and Thursday training sessions, no more anxious waits for team selections and no more weekends preparing to lead the Red Robins into battle.
“No, not really” she admitted when asked whether retirement had sunk in.
“I think it'll be a few weeks' time, or maybe when the girls are getting the bus up to Wicklow on the 31st, that it'll kind of be the realisation that I'm not getting on the bus, or the team sheet goes out without your name in it, and it might sink in then.
But for now I think it's just too new. It just seems like a week off or something.”
It is an understandable feeling for a player whose life has revolved around rugby since she was 13.
From those first experiences at St Mary's RFC, through her time with Shannon and eventually to UL Bohemian, Pearse has spent almost 19 years immersed in the game.
Rugby has taken her across Ireland, brought her into provincial and international dressing rooms, introduced her to lifelong friends, her wife Clodagh and helped shape the person she has become.
And now, for the first time in almost two decades, she has the freedom to discover what life looks like without it.
The decision to retire was not made lightly.
Pearse had been considering her future throughout last season, aware that a persistent back injury was making the physical demands of the game increasingly difficult.
But there was one milestone she wanted to reach. One hundred and fifty All-Ireland League appearances.
Having made her UL Bohemian debut away to Cooke in 2015, she wanted to finish with a number that reflected the extraordinary commitment she had given the club over the following decade.
“It was something that I was thinking about last year” Pearse explained on her decision to retire.
“We were counting the caps, and we're trying to introduce that in the club and celebrate those milestones, with Steph Nunan getting the 100 last week. And then I had my eye on it.”
When the fixtures were released, the opportunity seemed almost too perfect.
Railway Union away, followed by Blackrock at home.
Two enormous games against familiar rivals, offering the chance to begin another title defence before saying goodbye in Annacotty.
“The fixtures came out and it was Railway and Blackrock and I just kind of said, jeez, I'd love another crack at those two teams” she said.
“Big games, and Railway away, we hadn't won there in six years and long may that continue. But I just had a feeling. I just wanted to play those two games and hit the 150.”
The decision was also influenced by the reality of her physical condition.
A herniated disc in her back had become increasingly troublesome, and Pearse knew continuing throughout another demanding campaign was not realistic.
She discussed her plans with head coach Sarah Quin, conscious that retiring after only two matches could create difficulties for the team.
“I kind of knew it wasn't going to be something I could continue to do throughout the season, just with a bit of a back injury that I've been carrying for a while now” she explained.
“I spoke to Quinny a couple of weeks in and just said, look, this is what I'm thinking. I wanted to make sure that was okay with her as well, because it probably was a bit of a selfish decision from me.
“I just wanted to make sure she was comfortable with it and that she was happy for me to be in for those two games and then leave.”
The response from Quin and the squad was everything Pearse could have hoped for.
They understood the significance of the milestone and wanted their captain to have the opportunity to finish on her own terms.
“In fairness, gracefully, she was very good and the girls were brilliant as well” Pearse said.
“It just seemed right. I wanted to finish in Annacotty, finish at home, finish hopefully with a win against Blackrock, which is what happened. A lot of players that I know didn't get a fairytale ending. Luckily for me, I felt like I got one. So just really, really grateful for that as well.”
And so Saturday became much more than another league fixture.
For UL Bohemian, it was an opportunity to respond to their opening defeat against Railway Union and secure an important victory over Blackrock.
For Pearse, it was the last chance to do something she had done 149 times before. Pull on the Bohs jersey. Walk onto the pitch with her teammates. And give everything she had for the club.
There had been nerves in the days beforehand, although not necessarily for the reasons one might expect.
Pearse was worried that injury might intervene before she could properly enjoy her farewell.
“I think it was just kind of relief as well” she said.
“You just worry in the week building up. Oh God, what if I get hurt early, what if it doesn't work out? And then I suppose I wasn't feeling great either.”
By half-time, she had already begun thinking about what was best for the team.
She spoke to Quin about her energy levels and suggested that emerging number eight Elena Pinkerton could offer more during the remainder of the contest.
“I had a conversation with Quinny at half-time that I felt I was lacking a bit of energy too” she explained.
“We have a really good eight coming through, Elena. I actually think she's going to probably add more than what I'm going to bring right now.”
It was a fitting final act of leadership from a player who has always placed enormous importance on the collective.
Even on the day of her farewell, Pearse was thinking about what would give UL Bohemian the best chance of winning.
When she eventually left the field, there was emotion around her, but also a sense of peace.
“There was an emotional week,” she said.
“I think Ciara McLoughlin, Clodagh O'Halloran and John Holland probably cried more than I did all week. But for me, I've had the decision made so long now.
It's just that feeling of relief and contentness. I'm very comfortable with it.”
Pearse knew the significance of what was happening, but she also trusted the players remaining on the pitch.
“I’m sure in a few weeks' time I'll look back and say, Jesus, actually, that was a big, big moment” she said.
“But I was also content where we were in the game, so I was very comfortable that the girls were going to go on and win it.
So then it was just that kind of celebration at the end of, we did it. I got that fairytale send-off that I was hoping for, which again is probably a little bit selfish, but it was just a fabulous moment. The girls and Quinny for the last few weeks have just been amazing.”
For a player who has been such a central figure in UL Bohemian's success, it was an appropriate conclusion.
Pearse's influence on the club extends far beyond her 150 appearances.
She has been part of multiple All-Ireland League title-winning teams and captained the Red Robins to three consecutive championships in 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26, all secured at the Aviva Stadium.
Last season, she was named Women's Division Player of the Year after featuring in all of the team's 20 matches and scoring an extraordinary 19 tries.
It was a remarkable individual campaign, but Pearse has never viewed her achievements in isolation.
When she reflects on the trophies, she remembers the people who shared those occasions with her.
Her first All-Ireland League title remains particularly special.
After the disappointment of losing the previous year's final, the 2015/16 instalment against Old Belvedere by two points, in which Pearse started her debut final, UL Bohemian returned to Donnybrook and finally got their hands on the trophy.
“You do remember the AIL’s” Pearse said.
“The first one in Donnybrook was unbelievable, having lost the year before to a difficult conversion, not by any means that that was the reason we lost. So winning that first one was really, really special.”
Another memorable triumph came at the end of the 2017/2018 season, when the decider featured an extraordinary collection of international talent.
“The second one was probably, everyone was involved that year” she recalled.
“We had Junior (Ciara Griffin), Hayes, Gillian Bourke, Anna Caplice was playing.
Belvo had Nora Stapleton, Sophie Spence, Jackie Shiels, so when you actually look at that one, it was like when all the internationals were available. Sene Naoupu was playing, Nicole Cronin was back playing, Briggsy (Niamh Briggs) was playing.
So that one in St Mary's and the glorious sunshine that we played in in 2018, that one was pretty special as well.”
Then came the most recent three titles, when Pearse had the privilege of captaining UL Bohemian to championship success.
“And then obviously the last three, getting to captain them has been amazing too” she said.
Yet when asked to identify what she will miss most, her answer is not about winning.
It is about friendship.
Those relationships have followed Pearse through different stages of her career. It is those connections that Pearse knows will survive long after her playing career has ended.
Some of those friendships have become an even more important part of her life.
Pearse's relationship with wife Clodagh O'Halloran has its own remarkable rugby story.
In 2023, after Munster defeated Leinster, O'Halloran proposed to Pearse on the pitch at Virgin Media Park.
It was an unforgettable moment for a couple whose lives have been so closely connected to rugby.
They married last summer, adding another beautiful chapter to a story in which the sport has played such a significant role.
For Pearse, rugby has not simply provided trophies or representative honours. It has helped build a life.
“But it's easy to pick out those kinds of wins” she explained.
“But the reality is, it's the friends you make and it's the girls along the way. Anna's back coaching with us now, which is amazing. I played college rugby with Anna and played with her in Bohs, Munster, Ireland, it is the people you meet along the way. It's easy to pinpoint memories because there are so many, but it is definitely the people that you pick up and you meet.
I'm sure going to matches now, I'll meet them all on the sidelines and it'll be like, we're back in 2015, 2016, and we never left. Moments are brilliant, but I think you can't really replace those kinds of friendships and what you build relationships with people.”
Her provincial career is another source of enormous pride.
Pearse made her Munster debut against Connacht in 2015 and went on to win 37 caps across a decade in the red jersey.
She was part of five Interprovincial Championship winning campaigns and captained Munster in 2018, 2019 and 2024.
She called time on playing with Munster in September of last year, just after again winning an interpro title, bringing an end to another hugely significant chapter.
“Munster, definitely it was one of my favourite things to do, to play for Munster” she said.
“Still love it. Loved coaching with them this year. I hope to be involved again next year. Even now the Munster men's team, I'm just such a big supporter of Munster overall. It's one of my favourite things ever to say I am.”
Her international career brought seven Ireland caps, beginning with a replacement appearance against England in November 2016.
She also scored one try for her country, playing against Japan in 2022.
Pearse admits she would have liked to earn more international appearances, but she reflects on that experience with perspective rather than regret.
“I suppose Ireland is a funny one” she said.
“I had seven caps, which obviously is more than a lot of people will ever have. I obviously would have liked a lot more, but that's just the way it went. That's the hand I was dealt. At certain times maybe didn't do enough to get more caps.”
“I never regret any time with Ireland. I just suppose I never fully felt as integrated in the teams as I probably was with Munster and UL Bohs. That's just the way it goes. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't.
“Sometimes you arrive on the scene at the right time when someone's retiring and sometimes you don't. That's life and you have to get on with it either way.”
Even so, the friendships formed through international rugby remain important.
One example is Grace Moore, whose connection with Pearse has continued long after their time together in an Ireland squad.
“I still love the fact that I got to play for Ireland and got to meet lots of people” Pearse said.
“It comes around full circle of moments, getting to play with Grace Moore, and then she comes back to Munster this year and then she lives with me and Clodagh for a little bit. Myself and Grace were great teammates and we're now great friends because of that.”
It is another reminder of how rugby has woven itself through almost every part of Pearse's life.
There are also memories from the very beginning of her UL Bohemian career that still make her laugh.
Her first AIL appearance came away to Cooke in 2015, and a particular exchange with former Ireland international and former coach Fiona Hayes has remained with her ever since.
“This is actually one of my favourite caps and favourite stories about Fi Hayes from my first cap” Pearse recalled.
“I knew Hayes a little bit because I played soccer with her and we played soccer with a couple of people she knew in different circles.
But the ball is coming and she says, Chloe, it was off a kick-off, I think I'm going to kick this back. And I said, Hayes, I don't really think that's the best idea now.”
Hayes, however, had already made up her mind.
“So she caught the ball and sure as God, anyway, she kicked the ball back and their 15 caught it and ran the pitch and scored under the posts. We were under the posts, Mike Storey was coaching us at the time.
“And he said to Hayes, if you are going to do something like that, just let us know. And Hayes said, well I did, I let Chloe know. And I said, yeah, and I told you not to do it.”
It was an introduction to senior rugby that Pearse has never forgotten.
“So I probably hung her on cap one, probably hung her a couple of times since” she joked.
“But that was my first cap and just something small that I always remember from it.”
From that afternoon in 2015 to her final appearance against Blackrock, Pearse has enjoyed remarkable longevity.
She considers herself fortunate to have avoided the serious injuries that have interrupted so many other players' careers.
“You definitely don't expect to play 150 AIL games” she said.
“I was very lucky probably throughout my career. I had very minimal injuries, missed a couple of games here and there. I think the most I've ever missed is three games at a time.
“So very, very lucky to get the 150 AIL caps along with 10 years playing at Munster straight through without any injuries. So blessed in that sense, where a lot of other people haven't gotten that opportunity.
Obviously I'm crocked now from it, but just really, really grateful that that's the way my career went and I had such longevity as well.”
The physical demands have eventually caught up with her, but Pearse leaves behind a legacy that cannot be measured by appearances or tries alone.
As UL Bohemian captain, she has been central to establishing the standards and expectations that have helped the club become one of the dominant forces in Irish women's rugby.
She is well aware of her reputation as a demanding leader.
“I think that's probably something that comes in that people realise very quickly” she said.
“I'm probably that big scary leader at times, but they quickly learn that I'm actually, the girls call me a soft-boiled egg, hard exterior and soft on the inside.”
Beneath that demanding exterior is someone who cares deeply about the people around her and the standards they maintain.
“I suppose what I hope to leave behind, I've always said standards need to be high” Pearse explained.
“I drive that in training every week. And that comes from doing a warm-up, whistle blown, not going before the whistle off a line. That's how you build habits and that's how you build standards.”
For Pearse, championships are not simply won on the final day of the season.
They are built through the habits developed during ordinary training sessions, when nobody is watching and there is no trophy immediately at stake.
“One of the things I said to the girls this year is, yes, we've won championships on the last day of the season” she said.
“But those AIL championships are built because we don't accept shortcuts. We accept standards. That's something that I hope they'll carry through with them.”
“You won't always get it right. You'll boil over, you'll have a lot going on at work and you'll bring it to training and it'll come out wrong. But having the ability then to go back to people and make sure you loop in with them to apologise, or just realise you got it wrong, that's important as well.
Because people will always remember how you made them feel. But they'll also remember that you took ownership for your own actions.”
It is an important lesson for the younger players now beginning to establish themselves within the UL Bohemian squad.
Pearse wants them to understand that leadership involves both accountability and compassion.
“I'm not saying it's acceptable to go around killing everyone and then apologising” she added.
“But I think when you do it, you definitely need to apologise. That's something that I've had to do more times than not, but it is always probably from a good place of trying to drive the standard. I don't think anyone ever shows up trying to not do that.”
Those standards will remain long after Pearse's name disappears from the team sheet.
And perhaps that is the most meaningful legacy any captain can leave.
Not simply the trophies she helped win, but the culture she helped create.
The expectation that players give everything for each other.
The understanding that success requires discipline.
And the belief that every player has a responsibility to maintain the standards established by those who came before them.
For Pearse, however, the immediate challenge is rather different.
After almost two decades of structuring her life around rugby, she must now discover what to do with the time that suddenly belongs to her.
“Is it the high stool during the week with the lads or do I pick up something else?”
The uncertainty is understandable. For years, rugby has dictated her schedule.
Training sessions, gym work, matches and recovery have all taken priority over social occasions and other commitments.
“I suppose it has been my life for the last 18, 19 years” Pearse said.
“It always comes first. The events you miss, you miss everything. You miss work nights out, you miss family parties, you miss all these things. And every single one of those decisions is worth it.
I stand over that. I don't see it as a sacrifice. I see it as a choice, and a choice that has given me so many happy memories to go along with it. The choices you make in October, November to miss events are what give you the three-day benders we go on when we win AIL’s. You get it back in other ways.”
Now, however, the routine that shaped those choices is coming to an end.
“It is going to be weird” she admitted.
“On a Tuesday or Thursday now, finish work, I don't have to think about, oh, I'm going training. Or I'm not going to be too concerned if I have gym in the morning.”
“Hopefully I'll keep something up like that, because otherwise I'll be back running the roads or doing Dry January if I don't” she joked.
“It's just that bit of freedom around now. I've said I'm going to give myself to the end of the year just to have that time to myself. I'm not going to dive straight into coaching or anything like that.
I just want this three months because this is the first time in 18, 19 years that I've had time to myself where I'm not reliant on going playing rugby or going training.”
For someone who has spent so long giving her time to others, it is a well-earned opportunity to put herself first. Her immediate plans are simple.
A holiday with Clodagh, some rest and a chance to enjoy life without the demands of preparing for another match.
“All I know is I'm going on a well-deserved holiday Friday for a week with Clodagh” she said.
“Can't wait to just relax and kick back. Then just see how the end of the year goes.”
There are possibilities for the future, although Pearse is deliberately avoiding making any immediate commitments.
“I kind of have these thoughts of wanting to do certain things, but I'm like, you're retired from rugby because you've a herniated disc in your back” she said.
“So Hyrox has probably gone out the window. That's something I probably would have liked to do, but realistically it's not going to go. We're playing a bit of padel, that kind of way, so maybe it's something I'll try pick up.
“But again, I don't know how well that competitiveness will go when there's all these random people that I don't know and won't put up with my tantrums. So I'll have to figure that one out.”
Coaching seems an obvious possibility for someone who has already contributed to Munster in that capacity and who has spent years guiding younger players at UL Bohemian.
Pearse acknowledges that it is likely to form part of her future.
But not immediately.
“I'll probably end up in coaching at some point” she said.
“It's something that I love doing. I've always loved doing it for the summer. I just want to give myself that two-month break away before I do make any decision.
Just because I think I owe that to myself to take the couple of weeks off, to actually kick back and make sure it's what I want.”
And perhaps that is the most fitting way for this remarkable chapter to end.
For almost two decades, Pearse has given so much of herself to rugby.
She has experienced the disappointment of losing finals and the extraordinary joy of winning them.
She has represented her province and her country, captained one of the most successful clubs in the women's game and earned the respect of teammates and opponents alike.
She has formed friendships that will last a lifetime and shared some of her most treasured memories with people she met through the sport.
She has also found love, with one of the most significant moments of her life unfolding on a rugby pitch when Clodagh asked her to marry her.
The game has given Pearse an extraordinary amount.
And she has given an extraordinary amount back.
There will be more UL Bohemian matches, more title challenges and more young players coming through the ranks at Annacotty.
The standards she helped establish will continue to shape the club.
The friendships will remain.
And the memories of those three consecutive championships, of her remarkable 19 try season and of the countless afternoons when she led from the front will not be forgotten.
But there will be no more Chloe Pearse on the team sheet.
No more familiar figure leading the Red Robins onto the pitch.
No more number eight carrying the responsibility of setting the example for everyone around her.
At least not as a player.
For now, she is content with the way it ended.
One hundred and fifty appearances.
A final victory over Blackrock.
And a farewell at the ground that has been such an important part of her life.
Perhaps the emotion will arrive properly when the team bus leaves for Wicklow without her.
Perhaps it will come on a Tuesday evening when she realises she no longer has training.
Or perhaps it will be when she returns to Annacotty as a supporter, standing on the sideline among the friends who have shared so many of her greatest memories.
Whenever that moment comes, Pearse will know she left nothing behind.
She gave everything she could to the game, and in return it gave her a lifetime of experiences.
For Chloe Pearse, it was a choice that brought her 150 appearances, countless trophies, friendships, love and memories that will last long after the boots have been put away.
And when she walked off the pitch at Annacotty for the final time, she did so knowing she had been fortunate enough to receive the farewell every player dreams about.
After everything she has given UL Bohemian and Irish rugby, it was a fairytale ending she had thoroughly earned.
By Diarmuid Kearney
Additional Photography By Inpho & Ronan Ryan