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Flanker Simon Easterby retires from Test rugby

Ireland back-row forward Simon Easterby chose St. Patrick's Day to announce his retirement from Test rugby.

Easterby, 33 in July, will continue to play for Llanelli Sacrlets, the Welsh regional side where he is captain, but won't play another Test after winning his 65th cap on Saturday in the 33-10 defeat by England at Twickenham in the final round of the 2008 Six Nations Championship.

The former British and Irish Lion said the time had arrived for him to concentrate on his family and Llanelli.

"I'd like to thank the Irish management and particularly the players for their support during my international career," said Easterby, who played in every game of the 2004, 2005, 2006 and last year's Six Nations and is Ireland's most capped back-row forward.

"I've been extremely fortunate to play with some of the great players of Irish rugby and it has been a privilege to be involved with them and I've enjoyed every minute of it. But after eight years in the squad I now feel this is the time to step down," Easterby said.

"With the demands on international rugby players these days, and with a young family, I feel this is the right time to move on to the next stage of my life and over the next two years my main focus is on the Scarlets, where hopefully we can bring some success to the fans," he said.

Easterby won his first cap against Scotland at Lansdowne Road in 2000 and received a call-up for the 2005 Lions tour to New Zealand as a replacement for the injured Lawrence Dallaglio and scored a try in the second Test.

When Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll and regular stand-in Paul O'Connell were both injured, Easterby led his country against the All Blacks and the Wallabies in 2005.

Easterby, who scored eight tries for Ireland, has two years to run on his Llanelli contract.
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