Robshaw started playing rugby for Warlingham RFC at the age of seven, and attended Cumnor House School.

Robshaw is a two-time Aviva Premiership Player of the Year winner, an award he first won following the 2008/9 season, and then again following Harlequins' title-winning campaign in 2011/12.

[11] Robshaw played for England Schools Under 18 during (January) 2004, before making his First XV debut during the 2005–2006 season; scoring two tries in the 42–3 victory over the Pertemps Bees at The Stoop.

He was retained as captain of the England side for their series defeat in South Africa, in which he played only two tests before fracturing his thumb.

He was widely praised for his captaincy as England won the opening game 21–16 away in Wales, with the captain contributing a mammoth 26 tackles.

However, the game started five minutes late because Robshaw engaged in a standoff in the Millennium Stadium tunnel, refusing to take his side out only to be left waiting in the cold by the Welsh.

[23] However, England fell agonisingly short of the title on the final day of the championship, beating France 55-35 whilst needing to win by 27 points.

Following England's dismal performance at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Robshaw lost his national captaincy in January 2016 to hooker Dylan Hartley, but retained his place as a starter, but shifted to blindside flanker that year.

Injury during the 2018–19 season, the emergence of Mark Wilson, Tom Curry and Sam Underhill, saw Robshaw phased out of the team by the time of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Robshaw had been picked in the Barbarians Squad to face England on 25 October 2020 in a warm-up match before the resumption of the delayed 2019-20 Six Nations season.