Sculthorpe quits internationals

The 29-year-old St Helens loose forward, skipper of the national side since Andy Farrell moved to rugby union more than two years ago, has quit in a bid to extend his club career.

Scroll down for more

He told the Guardian: "I phoned [Lions coach] Tony Smith last week to tell him that I'd be finishing."

Sculthorpe, who has been restricted to just 18 minutes action in the last 10 Tests because of injury, told the newspaper his forthcoming autobiography, 'Man of Steel', would confirm the end of his international career.

He added: "It's tough because I was vice-captain to Faz [Farrell] for so long, and you could never get him to miss a game.

"Everybody wants to captain their country and it was a big honour for me to get the job. It's just been bad luck that I never got a real run at it. It's been a bit of a jinx for me."

Sculthorpe revealed his decision came before he suffered a ruptured Achilles in training last month, which ended his hopes of leading Saints in the first Challenge Cup final at the new Wembley.

He said: "I'd made my decision much earlier in the year, but I wanted to announce it when I was playing well. I want to play for as long as possible and this is the best way to squeeze out a few more seasons."

The only player to win three successive Man of Steel awards, Sculthorpe has won 26 Lions caps since making his debut in Papua New Guinea 11 years ago. He has also played four World Cup matches for England.

He backed his former vice-captain Jamie Peacock to succeed him as Lions skipper for autumn's home series against New Zealand and next year's World Cup.

Sculthorpe, who is out of contract at St Helens at the end of the year, hopes to be back playing before then to push his claims for a new deal.

Lions coach Smith said he fully supported Sculthorpe's decision to retire from the international scene.

"Paul contacted me last week to discuss it with me, which was fantastic," said Smith. "His mind was pretty much made up.

"I very much respect his decision and support him in it.

"This last couple of years have been absolute nightmare for him as far as injuries go but he's handled it.

"He has handled himself admirably throughout his career as a true professional."

Sculthorpe, who is out of contract at St Helens at the end of the year, hopes to be back playing before then to push his claims for a new deal.

Lions coach Smith said he fully supported Sculthorpe's decision to retire from the international scene.

"Paul contacted me last week to discuss it with me, which was fantastic," said Smith. "His mind was pretty much made up.

"I very much respect his decision and support him in it.

"This last couple of years have been absolute nightmare for him as far as injuries go but he's handled it.

"He has handled himself admirably throughout his career as a true professional."