England star set to retire after World Cup - 'the kids need their dad around'
Courtney Lawes has confirmed he will retire from international duty after the Rugby World Cup.
Lawes, who made his 105th appearance for England against South Africa, has played in four World Cups but his quest to go out on a high was ended in Saturday night's semi-final.
England will face Argentina in Friday night's bronze-medal match and vice-captain Lawes, 34, admits it is time to walk away from the international stage.
“I’ve said to the boys, anyone that’s asked. I think it’s time. I’ve done four World Cups, so I’m pretty happy with that. I haven't told the boss yet, but I will let him know," he said.
"It’s a bit of an end of an era, but it’s been a real honour for me to represent England for so long. It flies by. I’m proud of the journey I’ve been on. It’s not always been the ups. Plenty of downs in there, but I’ve pushed through.
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“I’m not an emotional person really, but it’s just been a huge honour for me. To be able to finish with this group, it’s something I’ll treasure forever.
"That’s what it means at the highest level. You get a couple of things wrong and get punished. But a lot of people thought we’d have struggled, and in the end we were unlucky to lose.
“We showed to everyone what it means to play for this team,” said Lawes . “Play for your country and the boys alongside you. We want to finish on a high. It’s important for us to finish properly and send us all off on a good win.”
Courtney Lawes on the lap of honour with his children (Dave Winter/REX/Shutterstock)Lawes is just one of five Englishmen to be capped 100 times, alongside teammates Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell, Dan Cole and World Cup winner Jason Leonard.
He plans to continue playing for Northampton and intends to spend more time with his family following England's heartbreaking elimination against the Springboks.
“The kids are at that age where they need their dad around,” he said. “It will be good to be with them more, to provide some well-needed structure to the mob.
“As hard as it is being away from your family, you almost have another family. You really feel like that, especially when you’re away in camps like World Cup camps. It’s five months, staying with your brothers.
“I’ll definitely miss the boys, the banter and all the stuff we get up to when we’re not training. I’ll miss the hard work as well. And I’ll definitely miss pulling the jersey on and giving it everything.”
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