Robshaw Retires

BBC: Former England and Harlequins captain Chris Robshaw has retired from rugby union at the age of 36.

Robshaw had been playing for San Diego Legion in the United States since leaving Quins in the summer of 2020, after 16 years at the club.

He won 66 England caps and was captain in 43 of those appearances.

Robshaw led Harlequins to their first Premiership title in 2012 and played 300 times for the club. He was twice named Premiership Player of the Year.

"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," Robshaw said.

"Following three dislocated shoulders in quick succession my body has told me to blow the final whistle.


"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."

Robshaw captained England at the 2015 World Cup on home soil, which ended in disappointment as the hosts were knocked out in the group stages.

The flanker played every game as England won the 2016 Six Nations Championship, but missed out on the 2017 title due to injury.

"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," reflected Robshaw.

"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. I hope in the coming years I can use my experience and knowledge gained to support other players on their journeys."

Great servant of English rugby, club and country and unfairly pilloried at times for England.

I look back at a player who gave his all, to a team for a good time not exactly greatly balanced, and perhaps not led with the clarity of thought above him either. Easy to say now that he was probably more a 6 at international level, but I liked when him Wood and Morgan were lining up together. I think if he were coming through now there wouldn't be the calls for him to replace a Curry, Underwood, or Willis (if we class him as a 7) but seeing guys like Ludlow and Ludlam I would imagine he'd be in squads at his peak.

I'll remember his exploits more from the glorious year of 2016 than a decision made before anyhow.

His performance in the 2012 Premiership Final - where he played both 7 and first receiver (and scored one of the cheekiest tries ever to cross the whitewash to boot) - is for me one of the all time great individual performances on a rugby field.

While his point of difference wasn't as obvious as, say, Curry's or Underhill's, his workrate was second only to Pocock's and his performances were incredibly consistent (if you look at the stats from games where he was lauded afterwards and games where he was pilloried, they're pretty much indistinguishable and always good). He also had a tremendous knack of making critical interventions at critical times, whether it was a vital cover tackle or a turnover.

Probably the most telling thing was that Eddie Jones continued to select him even after the disaster that was RWC 2015, and ultimately he might still have made the 2019 squad if he hadn't (by his own admission) rushed back from a knee injury too early and not been in the right place physically at the critical time.

There'll always be a welcome and a pint for him at the Stoop.

He will go on the list of one of the better players not to be ever be a Lion.

Collapse2005 wrote:He will go on the list of one of the better players not to be ever be a Lion.

He had the misfortune of there being a long queue of one-legged Welshmen to be picked ahead of him...

Any one think he will take up a coaching role?

majesticimperialman wrote:Any one think he will take up a coaching role?

His US role was as a player coach, but in his retirement speeches he seemed more focused on his charitable foundation for helping underprivileged kids.

Very underrated player. I remember one year when he won more turnovers than anyone else in the 6N (having come second in that statistic the previous year) and nobody even mentioned it.