FORMER IRELAND CAPTAIN Claire Molloy has announced that she is taking a sabbatical from rugby as she intends to continue her training in emergency medicine.
The 31-year-old on Wednesday tweeted that she would be taking a break from the green shirt and instead wants to concentrate on completing her qualification in Wales.
“Today is the beginning of a new chapter, time to focus on my other job, as an EM trainee,” she posted.
“Only and take a sabbatical from my beloved green shirt. Wishing the girls in Irish rugby all the best of luck this year.”
Molloy, already a qualified doctor, has won 68 caps for her country as well as scoring nine tries in a green shirt.
She helped the Girls in Green to Grand Slam success in 2013, before adding another Six Nations medal to her collection in 2015.
The Galway native made her Barbarians debut this year during a 40-14 defeat to England at Twickenham on 2 June.
Molloy’s absence is a massive blow for Ireland’s preparation for next year’s Six Nations. Among her list of honours, Molloy also captained her country during the 2017 World Cup.