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19 of the best tributes to Chris Robshaw, featuring Owens, Carling, Leonard and many more

Chris Robshaw was one of 13 players charged by the RFU. (Photo by Craig Mercer/CameraSport via Getty Images)

Teammates and opponents of Harlequins flanker Chris Robshaw have paid tribute to him after he played his final home match at The Stoop on Monday. The 34-year-old ex-England captain was appearing in his 299th game for the London club before his move to Major League Rugby’s San Diego Legion.   

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Unfortunately for the 16-year Harlequins veteran, his side could not get the win over Gallagher Premiership high flyers Wasps. However, as a player whose career has been defined by his attitude and consistency, it was no surprise to anyone in England that it was a typically industrious performance by Robshaw, marked by his work at the breakdown.  

Following the match, Harlequins greats from past and present eulogised the 66-cap international, recognising his commitment to club and country. England’s most capped player and former Harlequins prop, Jason Leonard said: “One of the most hard-working and honest players in our game, Chris Robshaw will be sorely missed.” 

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USA prop Paul Mullen played at San Diego Legion, the MLS club Chris Robshaw will soon join

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USA prop Paul Mullen played at San Diego Legion, the MLS club Chris Robshaw will soon join

Former No8 Nick Easter described him as an “exceptional man, player and captain. True icon of the club”, while Will Carling, the former England captain and Harlequins centre, said: “Work ethic, loyalty, decency and resilience. He has been through some tough times, with dignity, but deserves to be remembered by England and Quins fans as one of the truly good guys.” 

Quins legend and former All Black Nick Evans said his former teammate was “one of the greats! Honoured to have pulled the Harlequins jersey on with him.” Test centurion Adam Jones also said: “What a great man and a great player. Didn’t know how good he was until I saw it at Quins. Exceptional.” 

These are just some of the reams of tributes that were paid to Robshaw, who has the second-most appearances as England captain (43) behind Carling (59). Many have pointed out the highs and lows in his career, with England’s 2015 World Cup exit being a standout trough. 

But it is how he responded to that disappointment that has defined his career as much as anything else, which many of his teammates and fans recognise. Robshaw still has a final chance to make 300 appearances for Quins when they travel to Welford Road this Sunday to take on Leicester Tigers in their final outing of the 2019/20 Premiership season.  

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J
JW 2 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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