FAREWELL TO SEVEN
RETIREMENT is the ugliest word in the language, reckoned Ernest Hemingway.
Well, it’s a point of view, though probably not shared by the mature gent on holiday in Majorca this year who reckoned post-work to be one never-ending vacation. Each to his own. Anyway, Welsh rugby has quietly seen seven Wales internationals retire as players over the past year. Some of them left with tributes ringing in their years, others left amid less fanfare.
But all will be missed in their own ways. We take a look at those Wales Test men who won’t be seen on the playing scene in the new season.
Hallam Amos
Amos announced last autumn that he would finish at the end of the campaign. The trainee doctor and Cardiff player had been working on a placement in hospital when his rugby retirement statement was put out, with his phone switched off.
“When I got home a few hours later the messages were incredible,” he later said. “Everybody was just overwhelmingly positive. It’s been nice what everyone has said.”
It should have been no surprise, with Amos well-thought of by pretty much all who know him.
Injuries punctuated his career, but the 27-year-old full-back or wing was a class act good enough to win 25 caps for Wales. Welsh rugby will miss him.
Jamie Roberts
Another medical man who has decided to put his playing boots to one side. The iconic centre will be remembered as one of the central figures of the Warren Gatland era with his immense power and ability to cross the gain-line.
Standing at 6ft 4in and weighing 17st 4lb, he provided a reassuring presence in the Wales backline alongside his mate and partner Jonathan Davies. With those two around and at their best, little got through the Wales midfield.
No one can say Roberts didn’t squeeze all there was to squeeze from the rugby orange, figuring 94 times for his country and in three Tests for the Lions, as well as playing his club rugby across the world, from Cardiff to Harlequins, Bath, Dragons, Racing 92, the Waratahs and the Stormers.
After he announced his retirement as a player, tributes duly poured in, led by his old Wales and Cardiff team-mate Sam Warburton, who said: “A guy you’d definitely want in your corner. Hell of a player and guy. Massive congrats Doc.”
It’s unlikely Roberts’ association with the game will end, with the big man having already made his name as a sharp and articulate pundit who tells it as it is.
James Davies
Concussion issues forced him to call time on his playing career in April. “Obviously it’s gut wrenching, but I think the right decision has been made,” he said at the time.
‘Cubby Boi’ could not have done any more to prolong his career. But the problems the fans’ favourite and all-round cult idol faced were horrendous.
In an interview after he finished, he said : “The first six months were pretty much just a migraine the whole time. I’d come in because the specialists would say it was important to keep busy, keep training. But initially I was doing just 10 minute spins on a bike and I’d have to get off because I was feeling dizzy, unwell, my head would be throbbing.
“I’d be driving home just worried if I’m going to get home because my head was over the shop. I was getting neck pain, my visuals were off, the symptoms you can have through concussion. I probably had the lot.”
Charismatic off the field and outstanding on it, he leaves a gargantuan void.
Richard Hibbard
“I guess I’m very sad to say that, unfortunately, my body has finally said enough is enough,” he said when bowing out in January.
“What a ride it’s been. I’ve been lucky enough to do everything I’ve wanted, and more, in this great game.”
Tough enough to have once tussled with two giant Springbok props – an unfair fight, for sure: a third South African might just have evened the odds – Hibbard offered a physical edge to every side he played for.
He’s another one who fits the bill as a terrace favourite – at Gloucester one especially enthusiastic fan had his image tattooed on her leg.
Hibbard’s career hit a high as part of the Lions team that scored a Test series victory over Australia in 2013, just months after the hooker had helped Wales lift the Six Nations title, with his tackle on Joe Marler setting the tone in the 30-3 win over England.
Whether playing for Swansea, Ospreys, Gloucester, Dragons, Wales or the Lions, he gave his all each time he took the field. And he also happened to be a top bloke off the pitch.
“I am a big believer that when I am out of my comfort zone and I am challenged, that is when I am learning and I am at my best,” he said. “It was definitely the same in my playing career, which is one of the reasons I looked at this as an option.”
Jarvis had much to learn at the outset of his Test career, making his debut for Wales against scrummager supreme and one of the greatest loosehead props of all-time in Marcos Ayerza, of Argentina.
Jarvis emerged from it without conceding a penalty. For the avoidance of doubt, that added up to some effort.
Rhys Gill
Another player to depart amid concussion issues, with Gill taking a blow to the head against the Sharks. The Wales and Cardiff prop exited at the age of 35.
He had reached the stage where only one decision could be made after his head injury.
“The symptoms were quite bad initially. I have been struggling with headaches and stuff. I had vision problems at the start. It was quite scary. The worst part was the headaches. I had constant headaches initially and then it started progressing and I would have one between 5pm and 8pm every night,” he explained to WalesOnline earlier this year.
“My patience was loads less than usual, my tolerance levels were a lot less. I was snapping over silly things.”
A competitor to his core, Gill contributed stalwart service for Cardiff and Saracens and finished a winner in four out of his seven Tests for Wales. He leaves rugby with two thriving businesses – a flooring shop and a van hire company.
Scott Andrews
The 14-cap tighthead has retired as a player after 13 seasons with Cardiff to concentrate on coaching with a position in the club’s pathway and academy.
Helpful in media interviews and a huge trier on the pitch, with his work around the field notable, he faced a massive Test against New Zealand when he came on in the first minute to face the formidable Tony Woodcock.
But, as with Aaron Jarvis against Ayerza, Andrews defied the odds by not coughing up a penalty.
Cardiff’s up-and-coming players should benefit from his experience.