Ex-Saracens lock Dominic Day comes out of retirement in Ireland

Ex-Wales lock Dominic Day has come out of retirement in Ireland and is playing at grassroots level for Malahide nearly two years after he quit Saracens in November 2019 due to a knee injury in order to concentrate on business interests. It had been reported priot to that retirement that the forward would relocate to America and play some Major League Rugby with San Diego Legion.

However, having instead opted to retire, he moved earlier this year to Dublin due to his marriage to Nadia Forde, the Irish model and singer who in 2014 participated in the 14th series of the hit British ITV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!"

Day, who earned three Welsh Test caps and played at the 2015 World Cup, spent six seasons at Scarlets before embarking on his travels, enjoying four seasons at Bath before adventures at Toyota Verblitz in Japan and the Rebels in Australia were rounded off by two-and-a-bit seasons at Saracens where he played his last match at home to Sale in the Premiership Cup on September 2019.

When he retired two months later he posted: “After 15 years it’s finally time to hang up the boots. I have been lucky enough to have achieved more than I ever expected. I have played with some of the best in the world. I’m even luckier to have made some of the best and most loyal friends I could have hoped for. I want to thank my wonderful wife who has given up so much to follow me across the world and back.”

Now aged 36, the Pembroke-born second row, whose business interests include his cannabis oil company with partner George Kruis, has been tempted into putting the boots back on for Malahide, an All-Ireland League Division Two B team, and he made his debut in that tournament last Saturday away to Belfast Harlequins.  

North County Dublin is where Day now lives with Forde and he was approached by the local rugby club to see if wanted to get back playing at a very different level to what he had been used to. Malahide coach Brendan Guilfoyle told the Fingal Independent: “Dominic has settled in well and has been a great help to the younger members of our squad. He has made our pack stronger and we are delighted to have him."

Day isn't the first ex-international player to tog out for Malahide in the Irish league. Former Ireland tighthead Mike Ross linked up with the club following his retirement from Leinster in 2017, going on to play as well as coach the Dublin side.