BOB CASEY'S DIARY:The players' representative body is doing invaluable work in helping retired players make the difficult transition to a post -rugby career

THERE WERE no flights out of Newcastle on Saturday night so unfortunately I missed out on the surprise retirement bash for Mal O’Kelly and Girvan Dempsey in Dublin’s trendy new nightclub, Vanilla.

With Victor Costello as the point man, I’d say it was a cracking night’s entertainment.

It’s hard to believe that it was 2001 when I last played in the same Leinster side as Mal and Girv – 2011 is my testimonial year. Doesn’t seem that long ago but that’s when I left Dublin for the bright lights of London town.

The appetite for testimonials in the Irish sporting culture is simply not evident but it is a major part of a professional rugby player’s exit strategy from the English game.

Basically, if you have given 10 years’ service at a club you are entitled to host an event tax free. Geordan Murphy and Lewis Moody had a joint venture which I mentioned in a diary last season. Like in their case, a portion of the profits will go to charity.

A testimonial game is not granted by the IRFU but players can still avail of a 40 per cent tax break for the best 10 years of their career in Ireland, providing they finish up at home. No such avenue exists over in England.

So, retired players like Mal and Girv can claim tax back from the Government, which they thoroughly deserve for the loyalty they gave to both province and country, to help what is a radical change in their lifestyle.

For the majority of players, retiring in their mid-30s means starting a new career on the bottom rung of the ladder. Going into a company on a €25,000-30,000 salary is all well and good for the 21- or 22-year-old college graduate but for a 33- or 34-year-old guy with a mortgage, wife and possibly a few kids it is a daunting prospect.

Whenever I get back to Dublin I try to meet up with my old mate Niall Woods.

Niall played with my brother, Danny, in the club so I know him since I was under six foot. We have travelled on similar paths in our rugby lives – Blackrock College (school and club), Leinster and London Irish, where Niall left a legacy of attacking flair for other wingers to carry on after injury curtailed his playing days.

He is now, of course, the chief executive of the Irish players union, IRUPA, which plays a significant role by helping to ease players back into civilian life.

It is a huge transition. No more regimental training schedules or pay cheque with more than half your life ahead of you (the majority cannot take up a punditry gig or coaching).

Under the direction of Hamish Adams, the IRUPA currently have over 100 guys in a “player service programme” to cushion the transition. The primary goal is to avoid the worst-case scenario of someone retiring at, say, 25 years old with literally no other skill set outside the game.

Niall referred me to the recently-conducted online survey of former players. It is a sobering read.

Sixty per cent of the players retired voluntarily but the attrition rate within the game is evidenced by the 38 per cent who were forced out of the game (I’ve no idea what happened to the other two per cent). In 2006, 75 per cent of players had completed third level education. Now, four years on, with the current generation ingrained into the professional ranks straight from school, that figure has dropped to 55 per cent.

For those who step away from rugby in the next five years, rugby is all they have known.

People say you should go out on your own terms. That’s easier said than done. Players are prolonging their playing days due to a lack of career options.

There are consequences. You watch the game now and sometimes cringe at the collisions. Since retiring, 40 per cent of the players surveyed required hospitalisation because of rugby injuries. Sixty-four per cent believe rugby has had a negative impact on their lifestyle.

Hamish puts players through psychometric testing to pinpoint the area that suits each individual – be it a desk job, sales, etc – and they are directed towards work experience or necessary courses.

It is driven by the players but Denis O’Brien, as a non-executive director of IRUPA, has provided some great support and advice.

It is hugely beneficial for a guy in his late 20s to be able to make contact with someone of Denis’s stature and experience to discuss the possibilities of setting up a business or even to enquire about work experience post-rugby.

Clearly, the support provided by Hamish and Niall has become essential to a player’s long-term future.

I will be the London Irish rep next year to the English players’ union, which is naturally bigger, and longer in existence. The founder, Damian Hopley, is an impressive CEO.

On a lighter note, four of London Irish’s academy players were badly sussed last week. Training ended and fat percentages were clocked in so a car load of young men, that London Irish is banking its future upon, decided on McDonalds for an afternoon feast.

Only problem was the coaches had the same brainwave. Just as the handover of double-digit Big Macs was taking place, our conditioning chief Alan Ryan pounced on the young scholars.

The funniest thing was the three passengers immediately claimed their innocence by pointing the finger at the driver. Tight-knit crew in our academy!

Finally, a note of respect must go to Alan Quinlan for clocking up his 200th appearance for Munster. Some going for one man.