The famous Munster Rugby motto reads 'To the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible'. There is no player more in sync with this phrase than a 35-year old who has won 72 Ireland caps spanning an 11-year period.
Looking back, it has certainly been a glorious career following in the footsteps of two older brothers. It can never be easy but with respect, everything that Richard and Paul Wallace achieved has been magnificently eclipsed by one of the finest openside flankers of his generation.
David Wallace has been both a Munster and Irish stalwart for over a decade, as well as a double British and Irish Lion. The abrasive, physical openside flanker has built up a reputation as one of the finest back-row forwards in the northern hemisphere.
He has been brave and faithful and his achievements in the game mean he will go down as a legend on that side of the Irish sea.
It is with great regret that he has been ruled out of the 2011 Rugby World Cup having felt the full force of a monster tackle by English powerhouse Manu Tuilagi in last weekend's warm-up match. It resulted in a serious knee injury which will keep him on the sidelines for six months.
Post-match, Ireland head coach Declan Kidney was full of praise and respect for an extremely emotional Wallace. "He's 35 now but I've never seen a man as physically fit as he is right now, never. It's heartbreak for him and his family and extremely disappointing for us", Kidney said.
Injury is a big part of modern sport with the attrition rate in rugby on the rise but nonetheless, it is always a cruel turn of events when your immediate future is taken out of our own hands. Wallace, along with the rest of Ireland's golden generation, was preparing for a final assault on World Cup glory.
Wallace has continually put his body on the line in both the red and green jersey and maybe time has caught up with a workmanlike flanker who is all about physicality, dogged aggression and power.
In the close exchanges, Wallace is destructive with his ability to get over the gain-line. He is famed for carrying ball in hand and giving his side go-forward.
Since the injury, parts of the media have suggested that Wallace's international career is finished with only a couple of years left in the game meaning inevitable retirement is on the horizon.
But, it could be a blessing in disguise as it settles a debate which has been rumbling on for weeks now regarding the selection in Ireland's back-row. Declan Kidney had some difficult selection decisions to make ahead of their World Cup opener against USA on September 11 in New Plymouth, none more so than who would fill the back-row jerseys..
With Wallace's injury, it means that the four-into-three' debate has now finally ended. The abrasive Wallace was jostling for a position in the Irish back-row with Sean O'Brien, Stephen Ferris and Jamie Heaslip. It is a huge area of strength for the men in green with all four players serious contenders for a starting position. There was even talk of 'Fez', the Ulsterman, moving into the second row to accommodate all four players with experienced Donncha O'Callaghan possibly having to settle for a role as an impact substitution coming off the bench.
But, it will now be left to O'Brien, Ferris and Heaslip to carry the burden without Wallace, the unlucky one out of the quartet. He is the experienced one, the one who has seen it all before, the one who Ireland could have counted on to do a job for them when it really mattered. His services would have been of huge benefit to Ireland but he will have to be content with viewing from a television screen from the comfort of his home in Dublin.
But, this is not the first time he has experienced heartache throughout his career. His versatility meaning he can play right across the back-row has often counted against him meaning he failed to hold down a regular starting shirt earlier on in his international career.
Injury ruled him out of the 2003 World Cup whilst he wasn't selected for the 2005 Lions tour whilst in 2001, he was called up as a late Lions tour replacement but failed to make a real impact.
But, he started every match in Ireland's 2007 World Cup campaign and won three test caps two summers ago for the Lions Class of 2009.
Like a fine wine, Wallace appears to have got better with age.
I will remember him as a warrior, a battler, a grafter. Never one to take a backwards step, he will be missed by all. One of the good guys of rugby, his international career is surely over. Lets hope Ireland do him proud.
