Joe Marler laughed in Steve Borthwick’s face and told Wales legend he was done

Former prop Joe Marler has candidly revealed the reasons behind his retirement from rugby, confessing he could no longer match the physical and mental demands of the sport. The 34-year-old called time on his illustrious career in November after a final game for Harlequins against Bristol Bears, capping off an impressive run that included 95 caps for England, participation in three , and three victories.

Known for his forthright personality and sometimes contentious remarks, Marler had previously stepped back from international rugby in 2018, only to return for the World Cup in 2019. However, this time he asserts it’s permanent, having already transitioned smoothly into post-playing life with a new role within the rugby sphere.

Reflecting on his decision to leave the Test scene, Marler spoke to the about a defining moment: “We were in Girona [with England]. I remember sitting there at the end of the week, on the step in the lovely sun, blowing out my a*** and it was a really nice moment.

“But I was looking at all the young boys around and going ‘well, that’s it then’. The game has definitely passed me by, I can’t keep up with these f***ers anymore. I can’t physically keep up with them and mentally, I just didn’t have the drive to try anymore.”

Upon informing head coach Steve Borthwick of his decision, he recounted: “Steve did say ‘look, you’ve obviously put a lot of thought into it. I respect your decision [but] I wanted you to make it to the next World Cup’. And I laughed! I thought that was a good one. But he said: ‘No, I’m being very serious’.”

When podcast co-hosts Ben Youngs and Dan Cole questioned the former England player about the possibility of reaching 100 international caps, given he was only five away, Marler expressed disinterest in such accolades, preferring to “slip away” quietly. “Milestones have never interested me,” he declared.

“I just wanted to beat Tim Payne’s cap record, which was 26. So as soon as I hit 27, I pretty much gave up then anyway, the next 70-odd I thought there’s no point! Milestones aren’t a big thing until you get within a few caps of doing it, then you’re sort of semi-thinking ‘100 caps would be a nice round number to finish off on’.”

He further explained his aversion to fanfare, saying: “But you look at the hurrahs that a lot of our former teammates have got, and then I think actually I wouldn’t want any of that whatsoever. I just want to slip away into the night and leave the sport.”

Upon announcing his departure from England’s squad, Marler disclosed his intention to persist in club rugby until the season concluded. Nonetheless, not long after, he abruptly accelerated his retirement owing to a realisation that his connection with Harlequins had similarly reached its endpoint.

Despite his long-time association with the Premiership club, spanning 15 years, Marler confessed that departing the team was simpler than stepping away from international rugby – a sentiment he shared with a Welsh legend among the first to learn of his decision. “Quins was easier than England, because I still had people at England that I was close with,” Marler explained.

“I was willing to go to the well for them and I knew that they would go to the well for me. With England, it’s that elite environment, whereas with the club, the direction it was going in wasn’t necessarily one that I agreed with and I didn’t have those connections with a lot of the squad. That’s mainly my fault. You get older and you can’t be bothered to make the effort. I’ve turned into that piece of s*** that I always looked up at and thought ‘who is this poisonous t*** that just wants to take the money and not actually commit to it?'”

Marler then revealed the pivotal moment when he realised his rugby career at Harlequins was over. “I thought ‘I can’t do this’, so I drove in [to training], tried with a bit of positivity and I f***ed up a couple of lineouts.” Reflecting on the finality of the decision, he said, “I went, ‘I’m done’. I stood there and looked around for about five, ten minutes, [Alex] Dombrandt turned around and asked ‘you all right mate? ‘ and I said, ‘Nah, I’m done’. Then I just went and got my jacket and walked out. [Former Wales prop] Adam Jones came out and asked if I was all right and I said ‘I’m done mate, I can’t do it.’ He said ‘What, done done?’ and I said: ‘Yeah, I’m done’ and that was it.”

After calling time on his career following a match against Bristol, Marler is now relishing his new chapter away from playing. The ex-prop has taken on the role of performance director at Team England Rugby Ltd (TER), an organisation formed by the national squad last year when they chose to break away from the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) to handle their own affairs with the RFU and Premiership clubs.

Reflecting on his decision to retire, Marler shared his sense of relief, saying: “It had been on my mind for a good four or five months, since I broke my foot in the summer. I had four months at home with the kids, being normal, with them. Giving them so much time and being there for [my wife] Daisy a lot, which I hadn’t been, it’s kind of like, ‘f***, this is great. I can do this’. I want to give them more time now. They are at ages where they need a male figure in their life now.”

The former loosehead prop also opened up on his new role, explaining: “It sounds posh and official, but it’s basically having the backs of the England rugby team, doing a lot of the admin work, conversations between DoRs [directors of rugby], clubs and RFU to make sure they feel supported in decisions around operations, welfare if there are injuries, that they’re being consulted on things and it’s been done in the right way.

“It’s about building up relationships when it comes to the end of campaigns and people require rest, and taking the pressure away from the player of having to have those conversations. There are loads of boys in the squad who are young who would be too scared to speak to the DoRs without being judged for being soft, or being told, ‘We pay your wages, get on with it’.”