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Wales and Lions great Jamie Roberts announces his retirement

Jamie Roberts (Photo by David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images)

Former Wales and British & Irish Lions centre Jamie Roberts has announced his retirement from rugby at the age of 35.

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The 2009 and 2013 Lions tourist has enjoyed a glittering career that has seen him play for Cardiff and the Dragons in Wales, Harlequins and Bath in England, Racing 92 in France, the Stormers in South Africa and most recently the Waratahs in Australia, as well as representing Cambridge University. However, he wrote on social media today that “the time feels right” to draw the curtain on his 15-year professional career.

After making his Wales debut in 2008 at the age of 21, Roberts went on to make his country’s No.12 jersey his own for the next decade, being at the heart of some of Wales’ greatest moments of the modern era before earning the last of his 97 Test caps in 2017. Of those 97 caps, three were for the Lions, where he was named the 2009 Player of the Series against South Africa.

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“The plan, go to Cape Town, seal the series” – South Africa rugby back themselves for the final test

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“The plan, go to Cape Town, seal the series” – South Africa rugby back themselves for the final test

Roberts emphasised on his post that he has “no doubt” he will remain involved in rugby, and said that will be in a broadcasting capacity for the time being, a role that he has been moving into in recent years.

He wrote on social media: “The time feels right. As I reach the end of my professional playing career, I’m retiring with an immense sense of gratitude for what the sport has provided me. Having given everything in body and mind, the game of Rugby has given me more than I could have ever dreamt of in return. Our wonderful sport has impacted my life far beyond the white lines of the playing field; I guess its values have defined my attitude and approach to life and certainly shaped who I am today.

“Representing my country was always a childhood dream. I’m fortunate it became reality. It meant the world to me and forever will. I’ll also never forget the immense pride of captaining my country. Singing the anthem had the same impact whether at home in Cardiff, away at some of the most iconic stadiums in World Rugby, or during two Rugby World Cups. I’ll remember fondly reaching the pinnacle of representative rugby and touring twice with the British & Irish Lions. The joys and despair I experienced on both tours amounted to nothing short of experiences of a lifetime. The rugby experience with the Barbarians, culminating in victory against the All blacks also ranks high amongst my favorite weeks in Rugby.

“My experiences over the course of 350 professional matches have indeed taken me to immeasurable highs as well as desperate lows, eliciting every emotion possible along the way. Above all, the game has provided a sense of belonging, friendship and healthy competition. There’s no doubt I’ll stay with the sport past retirement. Whilst I figure everything out, that’ll be predominantly in a broadcasting capacity.

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“I’ll miss the changing room, the matchday buzz and the aches and pains. I guess most of all I’ll miss the lads. I’ve had the privilege of playing alongside and against many of the modern day greats; not just great players but great men. I’ll forever appreciate being able to rub shoulders with some brilliant guys that I’ve learnt a huge amount from. To all those I’ve been fortunate to share the field with, it was a pleasure. For a short while, we have the best job in the world. Never forget it.

“I finish with some incredible memories and a heart full. I’m proud to finish knowing I found my calling at number 12. That battle on the advantage line defined me on and off the field.”

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2 Comments
C
Cameron 862 days ago

I walked past him at a stadium one time, massive human being. Good luck fella.

r
robespierre 862 days ago

Thought he retired years ago

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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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