Ireland captain Nichola Fryday has retired from international rugby at the age of 28.
Fryday took over as Ireland captain in March 2022 following Ciara Griffin’s retirement.
The Exeter Chiefs second row won 34 caps for Ireland having made her debut in 2016, and skippered Ireland in the last two Six Nations tournaments.
She says she will continue to play club rugby and will “cherish” her Ireland career “for the rest of my life”.
Fryday’s retirement is another blow for an Irish team who lost all five matches in this year’s Women’s Six Nations to finish bottom.
The disappointing Six Nations campaign was followed by the departure of head coach Greg McWilliams after almost 18 months in charge.
Fryday was among a number senior internationals not to have signed a professional contract with the Irish Rugby Football Union in November 2022.
“The 2023 Six Nations may not have been the tournament I had hoped to end my International career on, but one thing I learned with that phenomenal group of players was the true definition of grit and heart in the midst of adversity,” Fryday said.
Fryday said her Ireland career had been “been full of highs and lows personally and as a collective”.
She added: “To every player I’ve been lucky enough to take the pitch with in the green jersey, thank you for always pushing for more on and off the pitch.
“Some of my closest and dearest friends have been made on the pitch, always picking each other up on the hard days when giving up seemed like the easier choice. You’ll always be people I call my family.”
Ireland will face Fiji, Kazakhstan, Colombia and Kenya in the third tier of the new WXV competition in Dubai in November.
