Joe Marler to retire at the end of the season

England prop Joe Marler is planning to retire at the end of the current Gallagher Premiership season - RugbyPass understands.

England won the Rugby World Cup bronze medal last night at the Stade de France, beating Argentina for the second time this tournament with a 26-23 in a rain-soaked Paris last night, although the Harlequins front row didn't feature.

One of rugby union's most colourful characters, the prop has a successful podcast and has become a regular on Talksport and for other UK media outlets.

The 33-year-old loosehead has yo-yo'ed in and out of international retirement in recent years but has indicated within camp that he is set to call time on his professional career as a whole at the end of the current season.

In September 2018, Joe Marler announced his international retirement to prioritize spending more time with his family but came out of international retirement to rejoin the England squad in preparation for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

He retired from Test rugby following the Japan World Cup reversed this decision once again and was included in Steve Borthwick's squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

His international journey began with three senior England caps earned during the 2012 summer tour against South Africa, having previously represented England at the U18 and U20 levels. By the time of his 42nd international appearance against France in March 2016, he had remarkably missed only four matches since his debut and contributed to England's Grand Slam victory.

Following this, he took a break from the game, withdrawing from the subsequent summer tour of Australia. However, he returned to lead England for his 50th cap, marking a memorable victory over Scotland in March 2017. Just three months later, Marler was a key member of the British & Irish Lions squad during their tour of New Zealand, playing regularly in midweek games.