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Bradley Roberts has announced his immediate-effect retirement

Wales' Bradley Roberts (Photo by Ian Cook/ CameraSport via Getty Images)

Dragons hooker Bradley Roberts has confirmed his immediate-effect retirement from playing at the age of 28. The South African-born front-rower made a 2021 Test debut for Wales against the country of his birth, going on to win five caps in total, but a back injury has now cut short his career.

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A statement read: “Bradley Roberts has announced his retirement from professional rugby with immediate effect due to injury. The 28-year-old Wales international hooker made 27 appearances for the Men of Gwent over two seasons, scoring seven tries and becoming a firm favourite with supporters at Rodney Parade.

“His final club appearance came against Hollywoodbets Sharks in January of this year, and he will now hang up his boots due to a back injury and initially return to South Africa. Durban-born Roberts moved to Dragons in 2022 from Irish province Ulster, returning to Wales having previously spent a season with RGC in the Welsh Premiership.

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Protection of 9 at base of scrum and maul | Law trials

Referee Brendon Pickerell goes through the law trials surrounding the protection of the number nine around the ruck and the maul.

Video Spacer

Protection of 9 at base of scrum and maul | Law trials

Referee Brendon Pickerell goes through the law trials surrounding the protection of the number nine around the ruck and the maul.

“The dynamic front row made his international debut for Wales against South Africa in the 2021 Autumn Nations Series and earned five caps.”

Roberts said: “My career has been short but very sweet and I look back at this chapter with massive pride and astonishment. I have no doubt it will leave me in good stead for whatever life has in store for. If my life so far is anything to go by, I’m sure it will be very exciting.

“Thank you to Dragons for being my home for the last few seasons. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time in Newport and am excited to see what this group can achieve. I have no doubt that the only way is up and that there is a big future ahead of the club. To the fans – thank you so much for the support. I really appreciate it.”

Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan added: “Brad leaves us with our best wishes for the future and thanks for his efforts during his time as a Dragon. Bradley has always given his absolute all to the cause – something that has seen fans of every club he has represented take him to their hearts.

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“It is that belief, drive, and talent that has seen him play successfully at the very highest level. We look forward to seeing what the next chapter holds for him and welcoming him back to Rodney Parade in the years to come.”

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J
JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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