England's World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson announced his retirement from international rugby Saturday.
Johnson, 33, released a statement after Leicester's Heineken Cup game against Ulster after a week of rumor on his future.
"This has not been an easy decision to make after talking to my family and friends, and after a lot of thought, I have decided to retire from international rugby with immediate effect," Johnson said as his Leicester team crushed Ulster 49-7.
A long list of England stars are lining up to replace him including fly half Jonny Wilkinson, backs rows Lawrence Dallaglio and Richard Hill and prop forward Phil Vickery.
Johnson won 84 England caps, putting him third on England's all-time list behind Jason Leonard and Rory Underwood. He led England 39 times, including the World Cup final triumph against Australia in Sydney on Nov. 22 and the Six Nations Championship Grand Slam last year. Of those 39 games, only five were losses.
He is the only man to captain two Lions tours.
His final England appearance was the World Cup final, where England beat Australia 20-17 after extra time. Johnson will continue playing for Leicester, at least until the end of this season.
"It has been a privilege to play for England, alongside some great players and with a great coaching staff," Johnson said.
"It has, of course, been a massive honor for me to captain my country.
"There have been many high-lights -- the Grand Slam, winning the World Cup -- but most of all, I will remember the moments together as a squad, just before and just after matches, in the changing room."
England coach Clive Woodward, who selected Johnson 54 times, said he had hoped the Leicester lock would stay on.
"Martin and I spoke earlier this month about his decision to retire from the international game," Woodward said. "I made it clear during the Rugby World Cup that I would have liked him to captain England in our defence of the Grand Slam but I fully support his decision.
"I can't speak highly enough of Martin. He has made an outstanding contribution for his country both as a player and as captain on and off the pitch. He stands down now having achieved everything there is to achieve as an England player and I hope he will be involved in some other capacity in the international team in the future. I wish him all the best."
Australia captain George Gregan also paid tribute to his adversary in the final.
"Martin Johnson has been a fantastic player for England and probably didn't get as much credit during the Rugby World Cup as he should have for his outstanding leadership," Gregan said.
"Personally, I felt that he was the heart and soul of the English team and as disappointed as I was to lose the final, I'm glad for him that he finished his career on top."
Fran Cotton, a former England captain and forward who was manager of the 1997 Lion tour to South Africa, said Johnson was the ideal captain because of his will to win.
"Martin Johnson is the all time great England player," he said. "You come across his class only once in a generation. The current England team is a reflection of Martin as he represents total commitment and focus on winning."
RSS