Davitt, who made her Ireland debut back in 2005 against Spain, is certain it was the right time to make such a decision, but will continue to play club rugby for Cooke. “I played international rugby for a long time and I’ve just come to a stage in my life where I’m unable to continue with the level of commitment required. I made the hard decision to finish on a high after the World Cup this year. To play the hosts France in the 3rd/4th place play-off in front of 20,000 and live on TV was a great way to remember my last game,” she said.
There is no shortage of highs, and a few lows, throughout the last decade for Davitt, and she has experienced plenty of change too: “The women’s game is almost unrecognisable from when I started playing, it’s a lot more professional.
“Now some of the girls are paid to play 7s rugby, like Ashleigh Baxter and Nikki Caughey from Ulster who have signed professional terms with the IRFU. It’s amazing when you consider that it actually cost us money to play rugby for our country back at the start.”
Having helped Cooke return to All Ireland Division 1 with a win over Carlow in the Division 2 play-off final just over a week ago, Davitt is now focusing on enjoying her club rugby. “It’s very hard to hang up your boots completely. We’ve got back to where we want to be in Division 1 but that’s only the starting point. We want to be a team to be reckoned with and it’s now that the hard work begins.”
Following the announcement of her retirement on Twitter, tributes poured in from all over the country on the social media site, highlighting her significant contribution to the women’s game. But with her continuing involvement in the game at club and provincial level, that contribution is far from over.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- First cap v Spain in Madrid in 2005
- 6 Nations Grand Slam triumph in 2013
- 50th cap v Italy at the Aviva Stadium (March 2014)
- World Cup win over New Zealand (August 2014)
- Playing in a World Cup semi-final (v England in August 2014)