23 Mar 2012

Irish hooker forced to retire

7:35 am on 23 March 2012

Ireland's hooker Jerry Flannery has announced his retirement from rugby after an injury-plagued career.

The 33-year-old from Munster has quit after suffering a back injury having been capped 41 times for Ireland.

Flannery suffered a calf muscle injury at last year's Rugby World Cup, and the last competitive game of his career was Ireland 's World Cup loss to the United States in New Plymouth.