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.
PHOTO: AP
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."
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom into global view — one of its key aims, experts said. The exit, confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation, does not signal a flight of Saudi money from sport, even after the Middle East war that sparked Iranian attacks around the Gulf, they said. “Saudi Arabia is not
RSS