Joe Marler walks away from Test rugby

England and Harlequins loosehead prop Joe Marler has announced his retirement from international rugby.

Marler, who has been capped 59 times by England, told Quins TV he was making the decision to spend more time with his family.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to represent my country and of course this has been a very difficult decision to make, but I have decided to retire from playing international rugby with immediate effect to spend more time with my family,” said the 28-year-old.

“It is an incredible commitment to play rugby for England and I strongly believe that if you are unable to give yourself fully to it then it is time to step away. Otherwise it would not be fair on the team, or my family. Being with England you have to spend an incredible amount of time away and I could not do that anymore.

“So now is the time to walk away and get some new blood in the team. And I am looking forward to being able to give my wife and children more of my time.

“I would like to thank everyone at England for the opportunities that I have been given. I will always be grateful for the memories playing for my country has given me.”

Having represented his country at U18 and U20 level, Marler won his first Senior England cap during their 2012 tour to South Africa.

By the time he made his 42nd international appearance against France in March 2016 he had played in a World Cup and missed only four matches since debut on his way to becoming a Grand Slam winner.

He withdrew from England’s June tour of Australia in 2016 and took a break from the game before leading out England for his 50th cap in their stunning victory over Scotland in March 2017.

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Three months later he was part of the British & Irish Lions squad for their tour of New Zealand.

England head coach Eddie Jones said: “Joe is a great player and team member so I am disappointed and we will miss him. But he has made his decision on personal grounds and we understand his reasoning.

“He’s a good guy – an honest, mature person who understands the demands of the game and the demands of family life. I have got to admire his honesty and the way he has gone about this.”

Marler, who joined the Harlequins Academy in 2008 and has now made over 170 appearances for the club, scoring nine tries, added that he was now looking forward to being able to concentrate on his club career.

“Harlequins has been my life for the past 10 years and I have enjoyed some wonderful times here and I am looking forward to many more to come,” he said.

“We are hungry for success at The Stoop and I am determined to play a full part in achieving that again for the club.”