Ex-captain John Barclay calls it quits with Scotland

Former Scotland captain John Barclay has announced his retirement from international rugby. The 33-year-old flanker won 76 caps for his country during a twelve-year Test career that included the recent World Cup in Japan. Barclay, who played in three World Cups, made his Scotland debut during the 2007 tournament.

“All good things must come to an end. After much thought I have decided the time is right to step down from the international game,” Barclay said on his Instagram account. “This isn’t an easy decision to make.

“Playing for Scotland is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication and undoubtedly one of the best things I will achieve in my life. But for me and my family, it feels like the right time. It has truly been a privilege to wear the jersey.

“Not many people can say they got to live their boyhood dream, but I was lucky enough to have that honour, and it is something I am unbelievably proud of. To my family and friends for supporting me all over the world, a big thank you.

“Most importantly though, thank you to my wife for her support looking after our growing family when I have been away and for dealing with the inevitable ups and downs associated with playing international rugby.

 

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All good things must come to an end…. After much thought I have decided the time is right to step down from the international game. This isn’t an easy decision to make; playing for Scotland is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication and undoubtedly one the best things I will achieve in my life. But for me and my family it feels like the right time. It has truly been a privilege to wear the jersey. Not many people can say they got to live their boyhood dream, but I was lucky enough to have that honour and it is something I am unbelievably proud of. To my family and friends for supporting me all over the world, a big thank you. Most importantly though, thank you to my wife for her support looking after our growing family when I have been away and for dealing with the inevitable ups and downs associated with playing international rugby. Not the end of my rugby journey, but the end of one chapter. Thanks for the memories

A post shared by John Barclay (@johnbarc) on Dec 4, 2019 at 2:20am PST

“Not the end of my rugby journey, but the end of one chapter. Thanks for the memories.”

Barclay made more than 250 appearances for Glasgow and the Scarlets before joining Edinburgh in 2018. His final Test match appearance came in a World Cup pool victory over Russia two months ago.

– Press Association 

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