By Jonathon Moore Rugby union editor

Tim Horan is one few true greats of the game

Only three players have ever held aloft the World Cup trophy twice. Two - John Eales and Jason Little - have already retired.

The third, Tim Horan, will hang up his boots at the weekend, after Saracens' final home game against Sale.

Horan was one of the most influential players of his generation.

A peerless, angled runner able to make a mockery of defences, he averaged a try every three games in an international career spanning 11 years.

He lit up the 1999 Rugby World Cup single-handedly and was crowned the man of the tournament.

His team-mates have since admitted they would not have come close had it not been for the man from Darlinghurst, though Horan is considerably more bashful.

"Winning the first World Cup in 1991 was obviously special," he told the BBC Sport website.

"But 1999 was my real crowning moment. In 1991 I was just a young man trying to get through it and didn't really look at anything outside the game.

"In Cardiff, I could appreciate the moment more. It was a great team effort. Myself, Jason Little and John Eales must have been the last ones to leave the stadium.

"We stayed in the changing room for hours after the game. We just didn't want the moment to end."

Though Australia's 35-12 victory over France at the Millennium Stadium is Horan's most cherished memory - it is not the only high point of a remarkable career.

The 1991 World Cup final victory over England aside, he also helped Queensland to capture their first Super 10 title in 1994.

But his efforts almost cost him his career.

"I ruptured my knee ligaments against Natal in Durban," he said. "Those memories still haunt me. I though my career was over. But luckily I bounced back.

"I've had my fair share of injuries, but I've always managed to keep strong mentally, which is the key to everything really."

After 14 years, Horan admits he is the last of a generation of players to have enjoyed such a prolonged career at the top of their sport.

"I think the game has changed so much that the upper limit is now more like 10 years instead of 12-14," he said.

"Having said that players are getting paid good money, so it's imperative they keep themselves fit and ready for selection."

Playing alongside such greats as Eales, Little, David Campese and Nick Farr-Jones, Horan was given the space and time to show his considerable class.

Players such as Philippe Sella and Serge Blanco were giants of the game and so unpredictable to play against Tim Horan

But there were moments, he admitted, when he genuinely feared his opponents.

"France had some truly world class players during the 1990s," he said.

"Players such as Philippe Sella and Serge Blanco were giants of the game, and so unpredictable to play against and Jeremy Guscott was another player you knew was able to do something a bit special.

"I've made some great friends both on and off the field. I've been very privileged to play against some of the greatest players the game has ever known."

So what now for the grand old man of Australian rugby union?

"I don't want to sever all ties with the game, that's for sure, though I don't have any regrets about walking away. It's the right time for me," he said.

"It's too early to go into coaching. But it's something I may consider.

"I just want to get back to Australia and put my feet in the sand and see how it goes from there."