‘It’s the scars I wear’: Chris Robshaw on England, leadership and what comes

Few understand the highs and lows of playing for England better than Chris Robshaw. Even now, after his retirement from the professional game at the age of 36, he still wonders aloud if everyone fully appreciates what it takes to represent your country. “People don’t realise how hard it is to be consistently at the top and to stay at the top,” he says, as the rain hammers down outside his London window.

If Eddie Jones and his England squad think they’ve had it tough from fans and media after recent poor results during the Autumn Nations Series, they should have been in Robshaw’s boots in 2015 when his team failed to make it past the pool stages at their home World Cup. “It’s the scars I wear, mate,” says Robshaw with a sigh. “It was the epitome of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. To lead your country out at a home World Cup … and then a couple of weeks later you’re knocked out.”

The then England captain attracted the wrath of the media and public, having to deal with constant looks and comments from strangers in restaurants and his local post office. Does he feel a sense of closure now? “To be honest, no. I’m not proud of how it went. And, more painfully, I never got the opportunity to put the wrongs right.

“I felt like I was in a fog and couldn’t really see out. But over time that fog has faded. It becomes clearer but it took a huge amount of time and a lot of shame. You wish decisions could have been made differently, but ultimately the buck stops with you. No matter what people say, you realise that you’re the one in charge. I would analyse things and play things over in my mind. I couldn’t escape it.”

Talk to any player, though, and Robshaw will forever be massively respected. I vividly recollect sitting in the East Stand at Twickenham as “Mr Consistent” led England to a historic win over New Zealand in 2012. I remember Robshaw playing every minute of the 2015 Six Nations and being one of England’s standout players, only for his team to lose out on the title to Ireland, by points difference, on the last day. It is sad that many seem to overlook the numerous achievements of a man who won 66 caps for England.

More recently a third shoulder dislocation in the space of 18 months, playing for San Diego Legion in America’s Major League Rugby, proved to be the final straw for Robshaw’s 18-year career. Although more known for his 300 appearances in a Harlequins shirt, and a bar at the Stoop named after him, the back-rower remains grateful for the two seasons he spent in the USA.

“My injuries weren’t great, but I loved California,” says Robshaw, smiling. “The people were so friendly and for my wife [Camilla] and I, it was so different to how we lived life back home. I went from driving up and down the A3 from Wandsworth to Guildford to cruising around on an electric bike. I’d go to the beach after training and just watch the sunset and chill. It refreshed my mindset on…