Robshaw announces retirement
Former England captain Chris Robshaw has announced his retirement from rugby.
He began playing rugby aged seven at Warlingham RFC when his mother was glad to get her three sons out on the pitch, running off some of their energy. It soon became clear that he had energy and talent in spades as he captained the Millfield first XV, England Saxons to Churchill Cup victory and made his Harlequins debut in 2005, before becoming their skipper.
Twice Premiership Player of the Year, he led Quins to the Premiership title in 2011/12, putting in 16 years as one of the West London club’s most loved players. His unassuming manner off the field of play has always been in stark contrast to his lion-hearted defensive and breakdown skills and his willingness to put his body on the line.
"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," said Robshaw in a retirement post to his fans. "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."
Eddie Jones commented on the news: "Chris was a great player and a fantastic team man. He trained and played with great intensity and pride and was a player that you loved to coach. He achieved a great deal in the game and Harlequins as a club can take great credit in Chris. On behalf of everyone at England Rugby, I’d like to wish Chris and his family all the very best for his retirement and future."
Robshaw won 66 caps in all, was a key part of England’s then world record-equalling run of 18 successive Test victories and led his nation 43 times, the most in the professional era and second only to Will Carling. When he was appointed England captain in 2012, he only had one England cap and his team included seven debutants. All he had to do was ensure his team lifted the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfied for the first time in eight years.
First game as captain
4 February 2012, Murrayfield, England 13 – 6 Scotland
“For a lot of the squad this was the first time in an international set up, it was only my second cap and there were a lot of new faces. We went up to Leeds for a training week and Stuart (Lancaster) arranged for everyone to receive personal messages on what became a very emotional night. I had one from my mum and from Andre Voss my Quins mentor. Everyone had them, it was a really bonding experience for the guys.
"We then had the training week at Pennyhill Park where Phil Pask, the England physio and probably the most experienced person in the room, talked about going up to Murrayfield, the fireworks, light shows, the bagpipes marching us down the road. Stuart was interim coach but it didn’t feel interim. He and Graham Rowntree had formed real bonds with the players, real connections.
“Singing the anthem is always one of the proudest moments. It’s brilliant hearing the crowd singing it with you. This is what you want to do, where you want to be.
"Stuart had a meeting with me at Pennyhill Park and said they wanted me to captain the team. It was such a proud moment, such and honour and I was fortunate to have guys like Tom Croft, Phil Dowson, Dylan Hartley to help me. The captaincy is never about one individual, you need good people, good support, around you. Owen Farrell, who was on his first cap, already had those leadership qualities even though he was 21 at the time.
“The first people I told were my mum and my wife, Camilla, they were so proud and excited, couldn’t wait to see me lead the team out. Mum was always incredibly supportive of my rugby and Camilla has been my rock through all the ups and downs.
“We flew up to Edinburgh a couple of days before the match and had the captain’s run on the Friday. For a lot of us it was the first time at Murrayfield and you could feel the history of the Calcutta Cup match. We were aware that we hadn’t won there since 2004 and especially for those of us playing there for the first time, as part of a new regime, it was important to put a marker down, put in a good performance, get a good start.
“Seven debuts meant trying to make sure we weren’t drawn into the occasion but just got out there and played. Time really drags between team arrival and the whistle and the danger is always that you get over emotional, too excited especially with lots of new guys."
“It felt pretty different, leading the team out, the flame throwers, the hostile crowd. I was meeting Princess Anne and didn’t want to muck up introducing her to the team. Playing with Karl Dickson at Quins, I kept thinking I must get Lee Dickson’s name right, not say his brother’s. Singing the anthem is always one of the proudest moments. It is brilliant hearing the crowd singing it with you. This is what you want to do, where you want to be.
“We were down 3-6 at half time and it was a close game. When Charlie Hodgson scored a try, Stuart Lancaster leapt up and cut his finger, which needed stitches. Those kinds of emotions let you see what it means that all the hard work has paid off. It’s incredible to get the win, you just grab the player next to you and hug them. We’d all put everything into winning that first game and there was a flood of emotions.
“Then it was up the steps for the trophy. Lifting the Calcutta Cup felt fantastic, that silverware has so much history. To hold it up having won was absolutely incredible but I was pretty nervous about dropping it, I’d never touched it before and I was gripping it tight with both hands.
“We had some beers in the changing room, that’s always the best part celebrating with the team, enjoying each other’s company, before you venture out to do media, head for the function. I managed to get through the captain’s speech before we headed back to our hotel. We flew back the following morning for a training week ahead of Italy.
“That first match as captain will always stay with me. I remember the emotions standing in the tunnel. It’s what you dreamed about as a kid, to lead England out.”
Last game as Captain
25 November 2017, Twickenham, England 48-14 Samoa
“I didn’t think I would captain England again after the Rugby World Cup so to have the chance to do it one last time at Twickenham was incredibly powerful. Eddie (Jones) called George Ford and me into a room and asked us both to captain. It seemed pretty similar to how we played anyway, him looking after the backs, me the forwards. I knew we could support each other but it was amusing deciding who would lead the team out, who’d do the coin toss.
“We just literally sorted it out between us so that it wasn’t awkward on the day. We agreed I’d go out first and George would do the coin toss. George didn’t want it to change the way he played and I got that because even guys getting their 50th cap sometimes don’t like leading the team out because it throws them off a bit.
“We’d trained at Pennyhill during the week but stayed at Syon Park the night before the game which makes it a 20 minute bus ride to Twickenham. You can sense the excitement, guys are listening to their music, then as you get closer it gets busier and busier and as you pull off the main road you see the crowds of people in white shirts. Walking in through the gates you think ‘Yes, this is why I want to be playing’ as the fans are waiting 10 deep, cheering you in."
“A lovely lady called Mary was always waiting before every home game to give the captain a red rose and a card. It was great receiving them from her and players, especially Dan Cole, liked reading the card in the changing room. The stadium was full for the match and there’s no better place to play than Twickenham, with 80,000 people cheering the noise level is electric.
“We knew Samoa could be dangerous, with players who could offload, keep the ball alive. A lot of times it’s about fitness, an arm wrestle for 60 or 70 minutes. We were 22-7 up at half time so it wasn’t anywhere near being done but we got a lot of tries under our belt and couldn’t have asked for a better game.
“It was a great occasion, one last time to captain at Twickenham. Rugby is all I’ve known since I was a kid, with the roller coaster of emotions, all the highs and lows. I was not proud of how the 2015 Rugby World Cup finished but captaincy was one of the huge highs and I am incredibly proud to have captained my country as many times as I did.”
