Joe Marler retires from international rugby

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterNov 3, 2024, 10:15 AM
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England prop Joe Marler has announced his retirement from international rugby.

Marler won 95 caps for England and was part of the squad for this year’s November Tests but left the team camp on Oct. 30.

The 34-year-old made his England Test debut in 2012 under Stuart Lancaster and featured in the 2015, 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups. He helped England reach the final of the 2019 competition under Eddie Jones, and to their bronze medal last year under Steve Borthwick.

He won three Six Nations titles with England (2016, 2017, 2020) but he has decided to call time on his Test duties.

“Playing for England always felt like I was living in a dream bubble. I kept waiting for it to pop and me to suddenly go back to being a gobby, overweight 16-year-old again,” Marler said in a post on social media. “But you know when it’s time.

“I can’t do what I used to do as well as I once could. I can’t keep talking about my family being my priority unless they actually are. I want to keep untarnished all these memories of my career, both good and bad. I don’t want to leave my house with my kids crying. I’m ready to make the change.”

Marler said that the first player he told was his England teammate Dan Cole. “We were sharing a room at the England hotel. I hugged him, he hugged me. The conversation went a bit like this:

“I love you, mate.

“I love you too.

“What’s up?

“I’m done, mate.

“I know you are.

“It’s the friendship and respect of teammates like Dan that I’ll cherish the most. The fun we had reaching the Rugby World Cup final in Japan in 2019. Coming off together in the semi-final against South Africa in 2023, sitting down on the bench, patting each other on the leg and saying, we did alright there, old son.”

Marler has retired from international rugby before. He called time on his career in 2018, only to return in 2019. He has struggled to spend extended periods of time away from his family on international camps, and has talked openly about how he manages his mental health.

The prop was part of the squad for this year’s autumn internationals, but left the camp ahead of the New Zealand Test, he knew then it was the right time to retire from England duties.

“Rugby has taken me places I could never have imagined,” Marler said. “We have a big map of the world up on the wall in our kitchen. We put pins in where we’ve been. The kids have pins in four or five holiday places, Daisy the same. They can’t believe how many I’ve stuck in. Dad, have you really been there? What’s Uruguay? When you come from a little town in East Sussex, that’s not normal. It’s a wonderful thing.

“So I’m incredibly grateful I got to play 95 times for my country. I have to pinch myself. Did I really do that? I’m grateful to all those people who showed patience as I kept messing up. I’m grateful to the fans who made each match special.

“I’m grateful to the teammates who pushed alongside or behind me, and the ones who could do all the things with a ball that I can’t. But most of all I’m grateful to Daisy, Jasper, Maggie, Felix and Pixie for the unwavering support. I’m sad to say goodbye to international rugby. But I’m really proud, too. Time to exit one dream bubble; time to enter a new one.”

Borthwick paid tribute to Marler saying: “Joe has been an outstanding servant to English rugby — a tough, uncompromising competitor on the field, and a genuine, one-of-a-kind personality off it. 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, and though we won’t see him in an England jersey anymore, he’ll always be part of this team. Thank you, Joe.”