England captain Owen Farrell has announced he is taking a break from international rugby.
His club side Saracens said the 32-year-old was stepping back from the national side to “prioritise his and his family’s mental well-being”.
It means the fly-half will not be available for selection for the 2024 Six Nations.
He will continue to play for Saracens and captain the club.
“As always, Owen will have the full support of everyone at the club,” Saracens said in a statement.
Farrell is England’s highest points scorer of all time in rugby union, with more than 1,200 points in 112 tests for his country.
He eclipsed the previous record of 1,179, set by England’s Rugby World Cup-winning fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, in October in a match against Samoa.
Farrell made his debut for England in 2012 against Scotland in that year’s Six Nations tournament.
He kicked two penalties and a conversion in his first game, before following up with a faultless kicking display against Italy in his next – eventually finishing the competition with 63 points from five games.
Farrell was one of England’s vice-captains in the 2016 Grand Slam Six Nations win and helped his country retain the trophy the following year.
He also captained the side to the 2020 Six Nations trophy, as well as a second-placed finish in the 2019 Rugby World Cup and a third-placed finish in this year’s tournament.
However, while a vocal player on the field, former England coach Stuart Lancaster told The Times newspaper in 2022 that he is “more introverted than extroverted” off it.
Farrell told the BBC in 2018: “I’ve always been comfortable speaking, especially on the field. Probably not as much off the field.”
Farrell is not the first high-profile English sports star to step back due to mental health.
In 2021, England Cricket Test captain, Ben Stokes, took a six-month break from the sport in after suffering from panic attacks.
Earlier this year, British gymnastics star Ellie Downie announced her retirement from the sport, aged 23, to prioritise her “mental health and happiness”.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
