Former Scotland captain Barclay calls time on Test career

London - Former Scotland rugby union captain John Barclay announced his retirement from Test rugby on Wednesday.

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"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."

The 33-year-old flanker was capped 76 times after making his debut in the 2007 World Cup and was part of the Scottish team that exited disappointingly in the first round of this year's tournament in Japan.

"It has truly been a privilege to wear the jersey," he added.

"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."

Hong Kong-born Barclay - who captained the Scots in his last Test against Russia at the World Cup - will continue to play for his Scottish regional side Edinburgh.

View this post on Instagram

All good things must come to an end.... After much thought I have decided the time is right to step down from the international game. 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. To my family and friends for supporting me all over the world, a big thank you. Most importantly though, thank you to my wife for her support looking after our growing family when I have been away and for dealing with the inevitable ups and downs associated with playing international rugby. Not the end of my rugby journey, but the end of one chapter. Thanks for the memories

A post shared by John Barclay (@johnbarc) on Dec 4, 2019 at 2:20am PST