Scotland’s former skipper John Barclay has called time on his international career after living out his ‘boyhood dream’ of captaining his country.
The Edinburgh flanker won 76 caps for his country after making his debut all the way back in 2007 in a Rugby World Cup pool match against the All Blacks.
In all, the 33-year-old appeared at three World Cups and captained his country in his final outing, their pool stage win over Russia in Japan back in October.
His finest hour however came as captain of the Scotland side that reclaimed the Calcutta Cup during the 2018 Championship with a barnstorming victory over England.
Congrats on a fantastic career @johnbarc86!
What a moment at BT Murrayfield in 2018. #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/GJWaGGjrLX
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) December 4, 2019
In all Barclay won 36 of his 76 caps in the Championship but missed the 2019 Guinness Six Nations as he recovered from Achilles surgery.
“All good things must come to an end,” Barclay wrote on Instagram.
“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.
“Not the end of my rugby journey, but the end of one chapter. Thanks for the memories.”
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Source: 6 Nations