Posted by It’s that time of year again where we say goodbye to players leaving Cardiff over the summer, as the 2023/24 campaign draws to a close and attention turns to next season.
After last summer’s disruption and uncertainty there is a lot more clarity around the state of the Blue & Blacks’ playing squad this off-season, with 12 players either retiring or heading for pastures new, plus one member of the Academy set up.
Only Rey Lee-Lo, at the time of writing is obviously unclear on what the next 12 months brings, although the suggestion is that he too has his future sorted in the Welsh capital. So with business wrapped up relatively early, let’s get in to the leavers.
Josh Turnbull
Club captain Turnbull announced his retirement back in April, hanging up his boots with immediate effect after a successful career across club and test level, becoming a favourite at Cardiff, Scarlets and across Welsh rugby generally.
After coming through the system down west he graduated to the first team in Llanelli, playing over 100 games before making the switch up the M4 in 2014. He quickly become a key member of the squad at the Arms Park, going on to captain the club for a number of years, winning the Peter Thomas Player of the Year award in 2022 and joining the 200 Club this season.
Turnbull was also a important member of the 2018 European Challenge Cup winning side, and won 13 caps across 11 years for Cymru, picking up three Six Nations winners medals along the way. Popular on and off the pitch, he now transitions to coaching where he will work with the Cardiff Academy and Rags, and has also been involved with Cymru D18.
Ellis Jenkins
Another retiree, Jenkins has taken the decision to call it a day on his professional rugby career after a decade of achievement and injury.
The 31-year-old caught the eye with successful Cymru D20 sides in 2011 and 2012, captaining the latter to a World Rugby U20 Championship Final, before stepping into the Cardiff first team and making himself at home for the next six years.
International honours followed, while Jenkins led the Blue & Blacks to triumph in Bilbao as on-field captain with namesake Gethin injured, but at the end of 2018 disaster struck as in the last throws of a man-of-the-match performance against South Africa he suffered a serious knee injury that would ultimately keep him sidelined for over two years and almost cost him his career.
Remarkably he was able to return to playing in 2021 and even made a comeback on the test stage playing against the Springboks and captaining his country against Fiji. His form for Cardiff this season has been undeniably his best post-injury, but Jenkins has taken the decision to retire in order to spend more time with his young family.
Uilisi Halaholo
The man known as Willis leaves the Arms Park this summer after close to eight years of entertainment during which he has become a cult figure among the faithful on the terraces. His hot stepping feet have drawn in the crowds and raised noise levels single-handedly, while his off-field humility and honesty have won him fans across Wales and the game as a whole.
Arriving in November 2016 he made his mark straight away with what would become his trademark step and power away at Benetton, going on to score 19 tries in 111 games for the Blue & Blacks in all competitions, forming a popular partnership with his mate Rey Lee-Lo in the centres.
Having qualified through residency he made his Cymru debut during the 2021 Six Nations, picking up a winner’s medal, before a tough few years with successive achilles injuries restricted his game time, along with uncertainty over his contract situation at the club during a turbulent time in Welsh rugby.
Halaholo finished the way he started with a classic score against Sharks in South Africa, and departs with sadness but the best wishes of all supporters as he and his family return to New Zealand.
Tomos Williams
It will be a strange feeling seeing scrum-half Tomos playing for someone other than Cardiff next season as he departs the club having graduated through the age grade and Academy system before spending over a decade in the first team, playing 140 times in all competitions.
His dove-tailing with Lloyd Williams as a starter/replacement combo at 9 was a huge part of many Blue & Black successes in that time, not least the run to and winning in Bilbao in 2018, before taking on a leadership role this season prior to injury where he was arguably playing some of his best stuff.
That was reflected in his nailing down of the scrum-half slot in the national team having threatened to do so for a number of years, impressing in an otherwise tough Six Nations campaign, but he now heads for a new adventure at Gloucester where he’ll link back up with the magic man Gareth Anscombe at half-back.
Rhys Carre
Another age grade and Academy graduate departing this summer is Rhys Carre who, in a sense of real deja vu, is once again departing the club for Saracens.
The 26-year-old broke into the first team at the Arms Park in 2018, and quickly stepped up to the international stage, playing in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, before his huge potential was spotted by the English giants who made their move for the loosehead post-tournament.
That spell in North London was cut short when Sarries fell foul of salary cap rules and were forcibly relegated, with the Big Red Machine returning to Cardiff where he would push on to 94 appearances in all competitions and finish last season as top try scorer with eight. However, as further test caps appear unlikely under Warren Gatland, Carre will now return to the StoneX Stadium.
Owen Lane
A fan favourite on the wing, The Lane Train departs the Arms Park over the summer for a new adventure in France after a prolific seven years at the club.
After standing out as a talent at age grade level, both with Cardiff and Cymru, he made a surprise breakthrough to the first team during an injury crisis in early 2017/18, and never looked back. Six tries in 19 games that season saw him start the run to Bilbao as well as the Final itself.
In total Lane finished on 43 tries in 92 games for the Blue & Blacks, leaving him third on the post-2003 try scorers list behind Tom James and Alex Cuthbert. He now makes the move to France where he will play for Valence Romans in the ProD2 next season.
Aled Summerhill
Summerhill is the other flying winger leaving Cardiff this off-season after a decade with the first team having come through Rhondda Schools and the age grade and Academy system to make his debut in the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2014.
Despite not always holding down a spot in the starting XV outside of international windows, the Rhondda Rocket also has a prolific try scoring record of 32 tries in 93 games, placing him sixth on the aforementioned post-2003 try scorers list.
As things stand Summerhill has nothing lined up next season, but a winger with his experience, pace, defensive awareness and eye for the try line will surely be snapped up ahead of next season.
Shane Lewis-Hughes
Another Rhondda boy heading for pastures new is flanker Lewis-Hughes who makes the short trip east to the Dragons ahead of 2024/25.
The 26-year-old had a brief intro to the first team at the Arms Park in 2016 but had to wait until the latter half of 18/19 to properly make his mark, going on to be a regular in the six jersey through to 2021, making his Cymru debut during the 2020 Autumn Nations Series.
However, injury and coaching changes have since seen him limited to a bit-part role for the Blue & Blacks, and he moves to Rodney Parade after 70 appearances in all competitions.
Jamie Hill
Scrum-half Hill was a mid-season departure from the club as he took up a playing opportunity with Manly in Sydney’s Shute Shield competition, linking up with former Rags second row Rory Bartle Down Under.
A winding route to professional rugby saw him initially not offered Academy terms after playing for Cardiff U18, before impressing enough with Pontypridd and Cymru D20 to earn a contract. His first team debut followed in the final game prior to the pandemic away at Edinburgh.
Taking up a regular spot in the matchday 23 under John Mulvihill, Hill found playing time limited when Dai Young came in, as well as suffering from some lengthy injury absences, so headed for Australia in search of regular rugby.
Lopeti Timani
Australian and Tongan international Timani arrived in Cardiff in 2022 from Toulon to bolster the pack having previously played for the Melbourne Rebels and La Rochelle.
A number eight for much of his career, he slotted into the second row at the Arms Park bringing a physical edge to the pack as we made the Challenge Cup quarter-finals and qualified for the Champions Cup during his first season.
Injury restricted his game time during the most recent campaign though, where he switched back to 8 more often than not, and he goes back to Australia this summer looking for a new club ahead of next year.
Ciaran Parker
Tighthead prop Parker signed for the club last summer after London Irish went bust but suffered a turbulent start to his time in Blue & Black after getting sent off on debut and then suffering a bad hamstring injury while banned.
Returned to fitness to finish the year on six appearances but now hangs up his boots to focus on a full-time role outside of rugby having played for Sale, Leinster, Munster and Jersey, among others.
Arwel Robson
A boyhood Cardiff fan, Robson left Cornish Pirates to fulfil his dream of running out at the Arms Park, making his debut off the bench in round four against the Bulls.
However, first team minutes were hard to come by with Tinus De Beer dominating the 10 jersey and Ben Thomas covering from 12, leaving the fly-half to turn out eight times for the Rags, helping them to a Premiership semi-final. He has signed for Chambery in France’s third tier Nationale.
Matthew Aubrey
Having been released by the Ospreys, Aubrey initially signed for Swansea RFC bu was picked up by Cardiff to provide cover for Tomos Williams, Ellis Bevan and Jamie Hill.
Williams and Bevan largely dominated the matchday 23 spots prior to the Six Nations though, leaving the 27-year-old to make just two appearances during the international window, before picking up an injury when minutes may have been on offer during the run-in. As yet there is no announcement of where he heads next.
Max Clark
Centre Clark came in on loan at the start of the season from Dragons, having played 15 times for the Newport-based side after his move from Bath. Backing up the likes of Ben Thomas, Willis Halaholo and Rey Lee-Lo, minutes were initially hard to come by during the first half of the season.
A first start against Leinster changed that though, retaining his place in the team against Glasgow only for injury to strike at the most unfortunate time. Returned to the Drags at the end of the season who subsequently announced him as a leaver this summer.
Gonzalo Bertranou
Another who came in on loan from Rodney Parade, Bertranou was a needed addition at scrum-half after injuries to Tomos Williams and Matthew Aubrey, as well as the mid-season departure of Jamie Hill.
Looked sharp against Ulster and Edinburgh but his season was brought to a premature end by a violent swinging forearm to the face away at Lions that left the Argentinian international with multiple facial fractures that required surgery. Also went back to the Dragons at the end of the campaign before being released.
Adam Williams
Tighthead prop Williams made the switch to the Arms Park in 2022 having come through the development pathway at Dragons, winning Cymru D20 honours along the way.
The 22-year-old never saw first team action at the Arms Park though, featuring intermittently for Cardiff Uni in BUCS Super Rugby, and largely turning out for the Rags where he made 11 appearances this season as part of that side that made the Premiership semi-finals. Is expected to sign for Ebbw Vale in Super Rygbi Cymru for next year.
Diolch to all the players listed for the efforts in Blue & Black, and pob lwc for whatever comes next!
Cardiff Rugby Life 