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Former All Black Aaron Mauger has announced his immediate retirement after failing to recover from a persistent back injury.
Skysports.com reports that Mauger had been due to leave Leicester Tigers at the end of the season in a bid to break back into the New Zealand team ahead of the 2011 World Cup.
However the 29-year-old has been forced to hang up his boots after losing his battle to return to full fitness.
“It is with great reluctance and disappointment that, due to ongoing complications with a back injury sustained 12 months ago, I announce my retirement from the game today,” said Mauger, who scored eight tries in 53 appearances for the Tigers.
“After many different specialist treatments in the UK and Germany, along with an intense rehab plan with the club medical staff at Leicester Tigers, I have been unable to regain full fitness and participate in full team training and games without re-injuring myself. So unfortunately retiring now seems the last but only realistic option available.
“I would like to thank the club and medical staff for their help over the last year and for their continued treatment and plan to rehabilitate me back to a normal level of function before my family and I depart home to New Zealand in June.
“I am gutted to be finishing my playing career many years before I had planned. This scenario also means I will have to let go of my aspirations of returning to play in New Zealand and my desire to compete for an All Black jersey again.
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Sorry boet, good luck with the future
This guy would have made a huge difference to their backline. He is a much better 12 than Nonu and McAlister…
@wpw (Comment 2) : i agree, he should have started that quarterfinal against the french in the 07 rwc
@wpw (Comment 2) : yip.
@war1 (Comment 3) :
Was he injured??? If not then Graham Henry made a huge mistake by not starting with him.
Fantastic player….intelligent player that also made the players around him look great
@wpw (Comment 5) : Het jy al ‘lunch’ gehad?
Turns out Mauger and Chris Jack were both substituted in that quarterfinal loss against the French!!
@Pokkel (Comment 7) :
hehehehe
Ja, n bobotie wrap!!
It’s a shame to see him leave the game so early but it is good to see that he isn’t pushing himself to play and risk the possibility of a non-recoverable injury.
@wpw (Comment 9) : Klink lekker…
this is far bigger than if francois steyn was retiring…mauger is twice the class of steyn…
@Megatron (Comment 12) : always rated this lad… the all blacks were a different side when he was playing.
He had a brother, didn’t he? What became of him?
@robdylan (Comment 13) : Aaron Mauger
Don’t know…
@robdylan (Comment 13) : yeah, nathan, migrated north before aaron even i think
afternoon everyone glad to see everyone is up and about with the blogging hmmmm
it must be hard to give up something that you worked for all your life and with a back injury
but that comes with the game i surpose well good luck for the future 
@robdylan (Comment 13) : My hubby won’t be pleased about this
he supports the all blacks 
@robdylan (Comment 13) : played for gloucester and treviso and then some where else (wikipedia says ricoh in france?? which does not make sense to me as I thought ricoh was a club in japan) and has now returned to christchurch to start an academy
@war1 (Comment 15) : ah yes, Nathan. He wasn’t all that good, was he?
@Chaz (Comment 18) :
My dog supports the ABs too (b/c he is all black and if you are drunk and squint, the white strip on his chest could resemble a fern if you twist your head this way and that)
. Poor pup, they lost to France in RWC on his birthday. I was glad I had let him eat his cake prior to KO bc after all he did was mope around the house.
@Milissa (Comment 21) : i’ve got a dog also and he black just black i surpose we can say is a all black but me a big SA supporter
brough my hubby a SA shirt he never wanted to wear it so me gave it away got him a AB one and framed it for the bar with the world cup 1995 we all supporting the SA he dame ABs 
@robdylan (Comment 20) : he has a super 12 winners medal doesn’t he?
@war1 (Comment 23) : so does Rayno Gerber
It’s never nice to hear a player has to retire through injury, he was a damn fine player and he is a big loss to rugby and NZ.
@Milissa (Comment 21) :