Marler to retire from rugby on Friday, a month after quitting international duty with England

LONDON (AP) — Barely a month after quitting international rugby, former England prop Joe Marler has brought forward his retirement plans and will end his time in the sport completely this week.

Marler’s last match will be for Harlequins, his team since 2009, at home to Bristol in the English league on Friday.

The 34-year-old Marler had indicated he would continue playing club rugby until the end of the season. He has made 285 appearances for Harlequins since arriving in 2009 and retires with two English league winners medals.

“The time has come to finally jump off the rollercoaster and walk away from this beautifully brutal game,” he said Wednesday.

The charismatic Marler announced on Nov. 3 that his 95-cap test career was over, days after he left England’s camp ahead of the November internationals because of personal reasons. He had baited New Zealand in the build-up to England’s first autumn test match by criticizing the Haka, stating on social media that it is “ridiculous” and “needs binning.” He later apologized for the comments.

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