Renowned for his hard-hitting style, the 27-year-old Collins added that he was not rushing into making any decisions on his future or considering an overseas contract.

"I've been thinking about things for a while and I know in my heart that it's time to step back," Collins said in a statement.

Collins made his debut for the All Blacks in 2001 and played a majority of his 48 tests as blindside flanker, captaining the team three times.

He scored five test tries.

"Jerry has been a key member of the All Blacks team for a number of years and played a major role in some of our best performances," All Blacks coach Graham Henry said.

A number of the country's leading players have been lured to Japan and Europe by high-paying contracts, causing a degree of concern for the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) as the exodus of talent shows no sign of abating.

Collins is the 11th player to quit the All Blacks following last year's failed World Cup campaign in France with Chris Jack, Carl Hayman, Anton Oliver, Byron Kelleher, Aaron Mauger, Luke McAlister and Doug Howlett all plying their trade in Europe.

Nick Evans (England) and Reuben Thorne (Japan) have signed contracts to play overseas while Keith Robinson retired through injury.

Nampa-Reuters

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