 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 4 June 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Redhill, Surrey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 112 kg (17 st 9 lb; 247 lb) [1] reported in 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Cumnor House School Millfield Preparatory School Millfield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chris Robshaw (born 4 June 1986) is an English former rugby union player. He was the captain of the England national rugby union team from January 2012 until December 2015. Robshaw's position of choice was in the back row of the scrum, usually flanker.
Born the second of three boys, Robshaw coped with the trauma of his father's death when he was five years old. His mother, Patricia, raised her sons alone. Robshaw started playing rugby for Warlingham RFC at the age of seven, and attended Cumnor House School. He then moved to Millfield Preparatory School and on to Millfield public school, where he was first team captain. [2]
He was engaged to his girlfriend of six years, Camilla Kerslake, before they married in France on 29 June 2018. [3]
On 8 February 2021 it was revealed that Kerslake and Robshaw are expecting their first child together, due in May 2021.
Robshaw made his Premiership debut in the London double header at the start of the 2007–2008 season. He went on to be included in the England Saxons squad who won the Churchill Cup in the summer of 2008. [4]
From the 2014–15 season Robshaw was the first team and club vice captain of the London-based Harlequins club; he relinquished the captaincy to Joe Marler in order to focus on his duties as England captain. Robshaw is a two-time Aviva Premiership Player of the Year winner, an award he first won following the 2008/9 season, and then again following Harlequins' title-winning campaign in 2011/12. [5] [6] He started and scored a try for Harlequins in their 2011–12 Premiership final victory over Leicester Tigers.
In June 2020, it was confirmed Robshaw would remain at Harlequins throughout the remainder of the elongated 2019–20 season. [7] [8]
He joined San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. [9] [10]
He announced his retirement on 21 October 2022. [11]
Robshaw played for England Schools Under 18 during (January) 2004, before making his First XV debut during the 2005–2006 season; scoring two tries in the 42–3 victory over the Pertemps Bees at The Stoop. [12]
He was also part of the England Under 21 squad that competed in the 2006 Six Nations Championship and the 2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship. [13]
Will Greenwood declared on 12 December 2008 that Robshaw was pushing for international honours owing to his current form, and he was fighting for a place on the upcoming Lions tour to South Africa, as an "uncapped" Lion. Greenwood also went on to compare Robshaw to World Cup-winning blindside flanker Richard Hill. [14]
Robshaw was named on 19 May 2009 in the England squad to play the Barbarians and Argentina. [15] He played in a defeat by the Barbarians. [16] Robshaw later replaced James Haskell in the starting line-up for the return fixture against the Argentines in Salta, Argentina, [17] winning his debut cap in a Test match defeat by Argentina. [18]
He was included in the England EPS Squad on 25 January 2010, owing to a knee injury sustained by Tom Croft. [19]
Robshaw was overlooked for selection for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, despite impressing in the training camp. [20]
In January 2012, Robshaw was announced as England captain for the first two games of the 2012 Six Nations, despite previously obtaining only a single cap. [21] He went on to captain England throughout the rest of the tournament, featuring a clean sweep of away wins at Scotland, Italy and France, as well as a win at Twickenham against Ireland and a narrow loss to eventual Grand Slam winners Wales. He was retained as captain of the England side for their series defeat in South Africa, in which he played only two tests before fracturing his thumb. Despite defeats by both Australia and South Africa, Robshaw captained his team to victory against New Zealand at the end of 2012.
He scored his first Test try in England's 20–13 win over Australia on 2 November 2013. [22] His second try was against Italy, in a 52–11 win, England's last game in the 2014 RBS Six Nations.
Robshaw was retained as captain for the 2015 Six Nations Championship, and played every minute of England's campaign. He was widely praised for his captaincy as England won the opening game 21–16 away in Wales, with the captain contributing a mammoth 26 tackles. However, the game started five minutes late because Robshaw engaged in a standoff in the Millennium Stadium tunnel, refusing to take his side out only to be left waiting in the cold by the Welsh. [23] However, England fell agonisingly short of the title on the final day of the championship, beating France 55-35 whilst needing to win by 27 points. This meant England finished second for the fourth time in a row under the leadership of Robshaw and coach Stuart Lancaster.
Following England's dismal performance at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Robshaw lost his national captaincy in January 2016 to hooker Dylan Hartley, but retained his place as a starter, but shifted to blindside flanker that year. England won the Grand Slam in 2016, and then toured Australia, whitewashing the Wallabies in the three-test series. Robshaw earned his 50th test cap and Man of the Match, as he helped England clinch the series win with a 23–7 victory in the second test.
Robshaw continued to be an integral part of the England team under Eddie Jones; although he missed England's victorious 2017 Six Nations campaign through injury, he was part of the leadership group of a largely inexperienced side that toured Argentina in 2017 - winning the series 2-0. He captained England for the final time in that year's autumn internationals, in a win against Samoa. Robshaw played his final test for England on the 2018 tour to South Africa, in winning the final test.
Injury during the 2018–19 season, the emergence of Mark Wilson, Tom Curry and Sam Underhill, saw Robshaw phased out of the team by the time of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
He finished his international career having started all 66 of his international caps. Only Rory Underwood and Will Carling earned more starts without ever coming off the bench for England. He also finished his career with the second-most England appearances as captain (43) behind Carling (59), but is the all-time leader in the Professional era.
Robshaw had been picked in the Barbarians Squad to face England on 25 October 2020 in a warm-up match before the resumption of the delayed 2019-20 Six Nations season. [24]
Unfortunately, 12 members of the Barbarians squad including Robshaw were found to be breach of COVID-19 protocols. Following an attempt to replace these squad members and retain the fixture, another breach of the protocols came to light resulting in the complete cancellation of the fixture. [25] [26]
| Try | Opposing team | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Australia | London, England | Twickenham Stadium | 2013 Autumn Internationals | 2 November 2013 | Win | 20 – 13 |
| 2 |  Italy | Rome, Italy | Stadio Olimpico | 2014 Six Nations | 15 March 2014 | Win | 52 – 11 |
Harlequins are a professional rugby union club that plays in Premiership Rugby, the top level of English rugby union. Their home ground is the Twickenham Stoop, located in Twickenham, south-west London.
Christopher John Ashton is a retired English rugby union and former rugby league footballer, and one of the few players who have represented England in both rugby codes. Ashton primarily played wing and secondarily played fullback.
Daniel Stuart Care is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for Premiership Rugby club Harlequins and the England national team.
Akapusi Qera is a Fijian professional rugby union player. A Flanker or No.8. He is married to wife Phillipha Talei and together they have four children. Qera is also from a Christian sporting family; his father was an international cricketer for Fiji and his brother also played international rugby for Fiji. He is also a first cousin of Fiji test international Viliame Veikoso. Qera is a current test international and 15's captain for Fiji Qera has also represented the Barbarians.
Dean Richards is a rugby union coach and former player for Leicester Tigers, England and British & Irish Lions. He was most recently the Director of Rugby at Newcastle Falcons, a position he held for ten years between 2012 and 2022.
Joseph William George Marler is an English former rugby union player who played as a prop for Premiership Rugby club Harlequins. He played for the England national team until his retirement in November 2024.
Christian Wade is an English professional rugby union footballer, and former American football player, currently playing as a wing for Gloucester.
George Thomas Ford is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks and the England national team.
Joseph Oliver Launchbury is an English rugby union lock. He represents England at international level and previously played for the under-18s and under-20s before making his Test debut in 2012. Launchbury plays mainly in the second row but is also comfortable as a blindside flanker.
Marland Yarde is an English rugby union wing who currently plays for Bayonne. He has previously played for London Irish, Harlequins and Sale Sharks. At international level Yarde won 13 caps for England between 2013 and 2017.
Jack Clifford is a former rugby union player for the England national rugby union team and Premiership side Harlequins. Clifford played in the back row at flanker or number 8. He first captained Harlequins in November 2015 in a match against Cardiff Blues
Joseph Stephanus Theuns Lewies is a South African rugby union player for the Harlequins in the Premiership in England. His regular position is lock.
Kyle Norval Jonathan Sean Sinckler is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Top 14 club Toulon.
Samuel Gregory Underhill is a professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Premiership Rugby club Bath. Born in the United States when his father served overseas in the Royal Air Force, he moved back to the UK aged 1 year old. He was brought up in Peterborough and then moved to Gloucestershire where he played for Sir Thomas Rich's School, Longlevens RFC and Gloucester Academy. He represents England at international level.
Joseph Marchant is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a centre for Top 14 club Stade Français and the England national team.
Thomas Michael Curry is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks and the England national team.
Marcus Sebastian Smith is a professional rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Premiership Rugby club Harlequins. Born in the Philippines, he represents England at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds and residency having lived in the UK since the age of 13.
William St Lawrence Webb Collier is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a tighthead prop for Top 14 club Castres Olympique.
Jack Singleton is an English professional rugby union player who plays at hooker for Premiership Rugby club Gloucester.
Alex Joseph Dombrandt is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a number eight for Premiership Rugby club Harlequins and the England national team.
