(Reuters) – England prop Joe Marler announced his retirement from international rugby on Sunday and this time the 34-year-old said he will stay retired for good having done the same in 2018, only to reverse his decision to play in the World Cup a year later.
Marler retires from international rugby with 95 caps, a World Cup runners-up medal from 2019 and three Six Nations titles. He had retired in 2018 to spend more time with his family.
“I know I’ve done this loads of times before so I should have this waxed lyrically, but this is the real one this time so it’s a bit weird,” Marler said on Instagram.
“It’s time for me to move on. The time has come for me to finally hang up my England rugby boots.”
“I feel very sad but very proud to have been given the chance and the opportunities over the years to represent England and I’ve got so many fond memories of wearing the white shirt.”
Marler was picked by England coach Steve Borthwick in his 36-man squad for the November internationals but the prop left the camp for personal reasons last week before the first game against New Zealand.
That followed comments he posted on social media saying the All Blacks’ traditional pre-match haka was “ridiculous”, leading to a backlash that prompted him to delete his X account before he reactivated it.
“I’ve been really, really lucky to experience both the mega highs and the mega lows in an England shirt and I’ll cherish all of them because they all count,” Marler said.
“I just wanted to say thank you for your support over the years and I can’t wait to sit back and be one of you guys now and enjoy where this England team goes moving forward as a proper England rugby fan. Thank you for everything, goodbye.”
Borthwick said Marler had been an “outstanding servant” to English rugby and that he would be sorely missed.
“Joe has been… a tough, uncompromising competitor on the field, and a genuine, one-of-a-kind personality off it,” Borthwick said.
“We’ll miss his humour, sense of fun, and the energy he brought to the squad. We’re grateful for all he’s given to England rugby.”
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru)
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