1 year ago
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Sarah Hunter has won 10 Six Nations titles, including 9 Grand Slams, with England| Venue: Kingston Park, Newcastle Date: Saturday, 25 March Kick-off: 16:45 GMT |
| Coverage: Watch unrecorded connected BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website & app; perceive connected BBC Radio 5 Live & BBC Sounds; unrecorded substance commentary connected BBC Sport website & app |
Captain Sarah Hunter volition discontinue aft England's opening Women's Six Nations lucifer against Scotland successful her location metropolis of Newcastle connected Saturday.
The back-row forward, 37, is the world's most-capped women's subordinate with 140 caps, and is besides England's most-capped player, antheral oregon female.
Since her debut successful 2007, Hunter has won 1 World Cup and 10 Six Nations titles, including 9 Grand Slams.
"Everything has to travel to an extremity astatine immoderate point," she told BBC Sport.
"The RFU kindly enactment a Red Roses crippled yet astatine Newcastle, which is my location metropolis wherever I grew up. I conscionable couldn't not springiness it a spell to play successful the game.
"I started playing rugby successful Newcastle, finishing determination feels similar I've travel afloat circle."
Kingston Park, wherever Hunter archetypal played rugby national connected the backmost fields and erstwhile sold matchday programmes truthful she could ticker Newcastle Falcons play, is sold retired for England's match.
The Loughborough Lightning subordinate volition beryllium featuring successful her 16th Women's Six Nations and her awesome vocation has included winning World Player of the Year successful 2016 and being appointed an MBE successful 2015.
Hunter besides reached 4 World Cup finals with England, winning successful 2014 and losing to New Zealand successful 2010, 2017 and 2022 - captaining the Red Roses successful the past two.
England volition big the 2025 World Cup but Hunter had already confirmed she would not play successful that tournament, and present admitted that "if things had been different" and her broadside had won the 2022 final, she mightiness person retired consecutive away.
Marlie Packer - named arsenic co-captain for the Women's Six Nations earlier this period - is expected to pb the broadside now, and Hunter says she "can't deliberation of a amended person" for the role.
"When the particulate settles and you tin bespeak connected everything, I don't deliberation I could person asked for much successful the vocation that I've had," added Hunter.
"For that I'll beryllium everlastingly grateful."
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'One of the champion people' - tributes to Hunter
Katy Daley-Mclean, who started playing with Hunter successful her aboriginal teens earlier winning the World Cup unneurotic successful 2014 with Daley-Mclean arsenic captain, said: "I've been truly fortunate to play with immoderate of the greats of the women's crippled but I deliberation Sarah tops that list.
"It's not due to the fact that of the magnitude of caps she's won, it's conscionable due to the fact that of the idiosyncratic she is."
Emily Scarratt, different World Cup victor from 2014, described Hunter arsenic "the champion servant English rugby has ever had".
Scarratt continued: "Somebody who acceptable the highest standards that we've each tried desperately to get anyplace adjacent to.
"One of the champion players definitely, 1 of the champion leaders decidedly but a cardinal per cent, 1 of the champion people.
"I don't cognize if determination volition ever beryllium different Sarah Hunter but I'm precise grateful to person played alongside her. If anyone deserves a long, restful and enjoyable retirement, it's her."
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