IRELAND AND ULSTER number 10-turned-centre Paddy Wallace has confirmed his retirement from rugby today.
The 34-year-old made 189 appearances for his home province, with the last of his 54 Heineken Cup appearances ending in Ulster’s first win on French soil and victory over Castres.
Originally an out-half, Wallace proved himself to be a quality inside centre providing creativity outside of the 10 channel and becoming a more physical midfield presence with each passing year.
The unbreakable centre partnership of Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy meant that Wallace was often forced to divide his attention between number 10 and 12 for both Ulster and Ireland throughout his career. Between 2006 and 2012 he won 30 international caps with 43 of his 53 points in green coming via his boot.
Wallace endured an injury-ravaged final 15 months in the northern province, suffering a quad injury weeks after returning from nine months sidelined with anterior cruciate ligament damage. He played his final game in the win over Zebre in Ravenhill in December.
Cheers, Paddy.
