Joe Marler retires...again

NEWS: England stalwart and legend Joe Marler has announced his retirement from international rugby on Sunday.

After 95 caps for England, Marler has opted to hang up his boots.

The 34-year-old made his England Test debut in 2012 under Stuart Lancaster and featured in the 2015, 2019 and 2023  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.

"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.

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."

Third's time a charm?

This is not the first time, the colourful character has announced his retirement from international rugby.

In September 2018, Marler announced his international retirement to prioritize spending more time with his family but came out of international retirement to rejoin the England squad in preparation for the 2019 World Cup.

He retired from Test rugby following the Japan World Cup reversed this decision once again and was included in Borthwick’s squad for the 2023 World Cup in France.

His international journey began with three senior England caps earned during the 2012 tour against South Africa, having previously represented England at the U18 and U20 levels.

By the time of his 42nd international appearance against France in March 2016, he had remarkably missed only four matches since his debut and contributed to England’s Grand Slam victory.

The Grand Finale

In what appears to be his final act and in pure Marler fashion, the prop made a controversial social media comment regarding the haka ahead of England's defeat to New Zealand on Saturday.

Although the prop did not feature in the match he dominated the headlines build-up by publicly calling for New Zealand to bin their pre-game haka.

Since then he has apologised for his remarks.