Yesterday we had the shock news that Wallabies Captain Ben Mowen has retired from international rugby. Today G&GR exclusively brings you the letter emailed to the full Wallaby squad on behalf of Ben Mowen early yesterday morning explaining his decision.
The story is consistent – this is a tremendously difficult decision for a man who’s worked towards this goal his whole professional life. The problem is that he’s now 29 with a young family and spending seven months a year traveling is something he personally cannot balance. I can personally understand that; I’ve found that travelling for just a few weeks a year can be difficult enough.
Making a hard decision like this though is in character with what we’ve come to expect from Mowen the leader – he’s not there to win popularity contests, he’s there to win. We saw it in the change he was a leader in at the Brumbies and with the change we’ve seen with the Wallabies over the European tour. Some are pointing to his role in the Dublin booze incident as the reason for his leaving; with the decision making he’s demonstrated over time, I find that highly unlikely.
Finally, some have questioned the move to France, but if you follow the logic of wanting to be closer to his wife and child and no doubt provide for them – it makes absolute sense. He’ll never be away from more than a night or so at a time, and the pay on offer – when you consider what he’s used to receiving – will make a considerable impact on his financial security. He’s the Wallaby Captain right now – a few seasons of Super Rugby and he’s just another Super Rugby player again.
Here’s the letter (click to enlarge).
