Former England lock George Kruis has announced he will retire from professional rugby at the end of the season.
The 32-year-old former Saracens player is currently playing for Saitama Wild Knights in Japan but will hang up his boots to concentrate on his sports nutrition business.
Kruis won 45 caps for England and was part of the 2016 Grand Slam-winning side, starting every game, while he also featured four times in the 2020 Championship success.
In a statement on his website fourfive.com, Kruis said: “My rugby career has been amazing, the friends and experiences I have made will shape the rest of my life.
“I have always given 100% to everything I do and right now I’m planning on my focus being 100% on building the fourfive.com brand when I finish with Saitama Wild Knight in May.”
Kruis represented England at two World Cups and also toured with the British & Irish Lions in 2017, starting the first Test, but was not included in Eddie Jones’ 2022 Guinness Six Nations squad after his move to Japan made him ineligible for selection.
The second row moved to Saitama Wild Knights in 2020, with his final England appearance coming in the 33-30 win over Wales at Twickenham that year.
He runs his business with former Wales international Dom Day after the pair met while playing together at Saracens, and felt that this was the right time to put all his focus on his business.
He added: “For me, I need to embrace my business and the opportunity it presents. I want and need to challenge myself to replicate my international standard off the field.”
At club level, Kruis won four Premiership titles and three European Champions Cups with Saracens.
