England winger Jermaine McGillvary has announced his retirement from international rugby league with immediate effect.
The Huddersfield Giants star turned 34 last month but was a part of national boss Shaun Wane’s latest squad and has been in excellent form in Betfred Super League. Many people expected McGillvary to push hard for a place at the World Cup at the end of this season but he has now called time on a fine Test career.
A latecomer to the international scene, he did not debut with England until facing New Zealand at the age of 27 in 2015. But the powerful wideman went on to represent his country with distinction, scoring 12 tries in 17 appearances before adding another four caps with Great Britain in 2019. However, it was the 2017 World Cup where McGillvary came of age with a brilliant tournament Down Under.
He scored seven tries in five appearances, ran more metres than any other player in the competition and played in the final which England narrowly lost against Australia in Brisbane. McGillvary was nominated for the Golden Boot as the world’s greatest player.
Ironically, though, his last appearance on the international stage was against England when - not needed by Wane - he scored for the Combined Nations All Stars in their win last June. Huddersfield-born McGillvary said: “It’s not a decision I’ve taken lightly. I’ve given it a lot of thought and it feels like the right time.
“When I started out I never believed I would represent my country, but I’m immensely proud of what I’ve achieved. The 2017 World Cup was the pinnacle of my career: the whole experience – on and off the field –was incredible. I went from being an unknown to being in demand from NRL agents, got to play alongside the likes of Sean O’Loughlin and James Graham, and off the field got to mix with legends like Adrian Morley and Jamie Peacock.
“It was a dream come true. England are well blessed with quality wingers and I wish them well. I’m still going strong with Huddersfield Giants and I’m contracted until the end of 2023. I’ll see how I feel then.”
McGillvary has scored 198 tries in 294 games for Giants since debuting in 2010 and played for them in the Betfred Challenge Cup final last month. His international retirement decision comes ahead of England’s mid-season international against the Combined Nations All Stars at Warrington on Saturday week.
Admittedly, Wane is not short of wing options given St Helens’ Tommy Makinson, Hull KR’s Ryan Hall, Catalans Dragons’ Tom Davies and Wigan’s Liam Marshall were all also in the squad he named in March to start preparations. But McGillvary’s experience will still be keenly felt.
Wane said: “Jerry is a fantastic player and has been a tremendous servant to England, Great Britain and Huddersfield over the years. His form is still good enough, but he wants to devote the rest of his career to his club and I fully understand his decision. Everybody within the England camp thinks very highly of him and we wish him well.”
