After 18 years, 300 club games for Harlequins, brief sojourn to San Diego Legion, 66 Tests for England with 43 as captain, Chris Robshaw is finally hanging up the boots.
The former England captain has released a statement: “After 18 years of professional rugby and a career I could only have dreamt of, I am officially announcing my retirement from the great game.
“Following three dislocated shoulders in quick succession, my body has told me to blow the final whistle,” he wrote.
“No words can do justice to how fortunate and privileged I am to have enjoyed a career in the sport I am most passionate about.”
“I remember my mum taking me to my first mini rugby game – sparking the fire that lead me to later play for and captain Harlequins and England. In doing so, I have been afforded opportunities beyond anything I could have imagined in terms of education, travel and experience,” he continued in his statement.
“Playing for and captaining England has been the greatest honour of my life and there is no comparable feeling to representing and leading your country. It was a responsibility I approached with respect, optimism and determination and I hope in the coming years I can use my experience and knowledge gained to support other players on their journeys.
“Playing at the top level comes with a lot of pressure and with that comes many highs and lows. My advice is to surround yourself with strong and kind people, something I was lucky to have.
“I want to thank my teammates for pushing me to be better, for laughing with me and for crying with me. I want to thank each coach for their commitment to improving me as a player and a person, and each physio for getting me back onto the pitch each week.
“To my mum and family – thank you for supporting me from my first game as a boy to my last as a man. To my wife, Camilla, you have been my rock throughout most of my professional career – thank you for everything you have done to make it possible.
“Nothing brings me greater joy than knowing my son, Wilding, was able to see his dad play a game or two and I look forward to taking him down to The Stoop, Twickenham or to San Diego to join the fans.
“To those fans, my final and loudest thank you. Over the years it has been you that has sat through wind, rain and snow to inspire me to dig deeper, to do better. I will miss so much about rugby but playing in front of you and for you, will be what I miss most. Nothing comes close to the overriding sense of love, acceptance and support from the fans when you represent your club or your country.”
Chris Robshaw picks his dream back-row featuring Dallaglio and McCaw
Harlequins legend Chris Robshaw has named his spectacular dream team of rugby players.
A twice-named Aviva Premiership Player of the Year, Robshaw won 66 England caps and is the second most capped England captain of all time.
Speaking on the Looseheadz Podcast, he selected his dream team from any era of rugby to take on Mars if they invaded the Earth and challenged us to a game of rugby.
Here, Chris Robshaw names his stunning dream team to take on Mars.
DID YOU KNOW? He was engaged to his girlfriend of 6 years, Camilla Kerslake, before they married in France on 29 June 2018
CHRIS ROBSHAW’S DREAM TEAM:
BACK-THREE:
- 15: Jason Robinson (England) – An easy pick. I wish i could have played against him to see his footwork up close.
- 14: Bryan Habana (South Africa) – He was electric. I’m sure he’d be a good teammate.
- 11: Jonah Lomu (New Zealand) – The impact he had on rugby was like nobody else in history. I would have loved to have played with him.
CENTRES:
- Outside-centre: Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland) – From what he achieved in the game, I think he’d be a great player to have in the side.
- Inside-centre: Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand) – Always quite a scary guy to play against. The best 12 about in my time, but it was a tough one between him and Jamie Roberts.
