Girvan Dempsey announced his retirement from rugby on Wednesday. His performances for both Leinster and Ireland will be fondly remembered by Irish rugby followers.
The Terenure College full-back, who has represented Leinster since 1996, won his first cap for Ireland as a replacement against Georgia back in November 1998 and announced his arrival with two tries in a 70-0 win.
Dempsey made his domestic debut for Leinster in 1996 – and he has scored 32 tries for his beloved province and kicked 35 points.
Fond memories of his career will flood through the minds of many on Sunday evening when he’s in line to make his 175th appearance for Leinster.
But the one that sticks out will be that try against England at Twickenham in 2004 – which dramatically captured Ireland’s first Triple Crown since 1985 at the home of the old enemy.
He is the joint-fourth most capped player in Ireland’s history with 82 international appearances, and he scored 19 tries in the green shirt, making him the fourth highest try-scorer in Irish rugby history. Dempsey reached his milestone of 50 caps for Ireland in the 2004 second test against South Africa.
Dempsey played a crucial role in three Triple Crown victories, while his experience and guile were also pivotal in Leinster winning last year’s Heineken Cup.
There is one regretful gap on his CV – his 82nd and last Ireland cap came against New Zealand in November 2008 so he missed the Six Nations Championship win last year. Nonetheless, he can look back on a glittering career which saw him help Ireland to three Triple Crowns in 2004, 2006 and 2007 as well as winning the Heineken Cup and the Magners (or Celtic) League twice with Leinster. Indeed, with the province looking forward to a semi-final in the Magners League this time around, he could yet finish his career with another title before the end of the month.
His calm authority, stout defence and penetrative attacking, for both Leinster and Ireland, will be sorely missed, and his departure signals the end of an era for rugby on these shores.
One can be sure, however, that if some of Ireland’s brightest up-and-coming talents invest anything close to the effort and commitment Dempsey has provided over the past decade and a half, we have a lot to look forward to.
Leinster coaching consultant Alan Gaffney summed him up with this tribute:
“Girvan Dempsey is extremely good to coach and has been a fantastic servant for Leinster and Irish rugby. He’s someone you can place your trust on 100% and I remember we first met in 2000 during my first spell with Leinster.Â
“In the early days we spoke about the idea of ‘never die wondering’ and he has gone on to become one of the best full-backs around and one of the most intelligent rugby brains that I’ve ever encountered. He’s a superb athlete and just an all-round great guy.”
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