Posted by During the turbulence of last summer there were a huge 24 players that departed the Arms Park across the first team and Academy. Well, sort of anyway, as you’ll see as this piece goes on.
12 months later I’ve had a look at how each player has got on either with their playing career and retirement, with DJing, moving to America and playing for Brecon among the adventures that some have been on.
Lloyd Williams
After setting the post-2003 record for appearances with a huge 261, scrum-half Williams departed the Arms Park after 14 years at the club last summer, making the switch to Ealing Trailfinders and the English Championship in West London.
The now 34-year-old has been a matchday 23 regular for the ambitious side, alternating between the nine and 21 jersey with Craig Hampson, as Ealing stormed to another league title with a sevn-point advantage over second place Cornish Pirates.
Josh Navidi
Another long-term ever-present player in the Cardiff side, this time in the back row, Josh Navidi was forced to retire during the 2022/23 season having played 184 times for the Blue & Blacks, as well as winning 27 Cymru caps and tour with the 2021 British & Irish Lions.
Post-retirement life has been busy for Navidi with business interests in the motor industry, a burgeoning DJ career and rugby media appearances all on the menu for the Dreads of Destruction.
Kris Dacey
Sticking with the hair theme, a man known for his flowing locks is Dacey who made the 200 Club for Cardiff, finishing on 202 appearances along with eight Cymru caps and a stint with the 2017 British & Irish Lions as part of the “geographical six”.
The 34-year-old also called time on his professional career, turning out one last time for the Barbarians away at Munster last September, focusing on business interests in the property sector, as well as turning out a handful of times as a centre for Brecon in the Championship where brother Gavin is a coach.
Jarrod Evans
A real fan favourite at the Arms Park there was great disappointment when fly-half Evans was effectively forced to move on last summer. With Cardiff not in any position to make any sort of proper contract offer, he took up a spot with English champions Harlequins.
Battling with England’s Marcus Smith for the fly-half spot, he had a good start at The Stoop starting three of the first four games during with Rugby World Cup, but injury and the return of Smith have restricted him to just one further start for Quins as he has been largely used in cameo roles off the bench.
Dmitri Arhip
Someone who took the brunt of the uncertainty in Welsh rugby as Cardiff could not afford to re-sign the Moldovan tighthead at a time when he was battling back from a serious Achilles injury. After almost 100 appearances for the Ospreys, and then 71 outings for the Blue & Blacks, he was suddenly left without a club and a long-term injury.
Fortunately after working back to fitness he was picked up on a short-term deal by the Dragons, coming off the bench five times during the run-in, and is hopefully set to earn another contract at Rodney Parade this summer.
Dillon Lewis
An Academy graduate who played 90 times for Cardiff across nine years in the first team, Lewis joined Jarrod Evans in making the trip up the M4 to West London and signing for Harlequins.
The tighthead prop suffered a similar fate to his fly-half colleague with Will Collier often preferred to start leaving Lewis coming off the bench 14 times in 19 appearances, and struggling to make Cymru’s Six Nations squad, although he did receive a call-up as injury cover during the Championship.
Brad Thyer
On the other side of the scrum, Brad Thyer also moved on from the Arms Park on the agonising total of 99 first team appearances, with Corey Domachowski and Rhys Carre preventing the Academy graduate from entering the 100 Club.
The 31-year-old joined Lloyd Williams at Ealing Trailfinders, but after a handful of appearances at the start of the season in the Premiership Rugby Cup, has not featured at all for the Championship side. Not released at the end of the season, it’s possible he may have picked up a serious injury.
Kirby Myhill
Having captained Cymru D20, played 50 times for Scarlets and then joined the 100 Club at Cardiff, hooker Myhill was suddenly without a job in professional rugby last summer and took up a role working for club sponsor Dragon Signs.
However, it wasn’t long until MLR expansion side Miami Sharks came knocking, and the Burry Port boy was on his way to The Magic City where has made five appearances to-date in a team finding their feet during their debut season.
Max Llewellyn
A blow to Cardiff was centre Max Llewellyn heading over the Bridge for Gloucester after enjoying a full breakout season after injury had caused a couple of false starts. So impressive was his form that he even forced his way into Cymru’s wider squad ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
Game time was hard to come by early in the season at Kingsholm, but after making his first Premiership start in early December the former Glantaf pupil has established himself as a starting XV regular at either 12 or 13 as Glaws struggled in the league but won the Premiership Cup and made the final of the Challenge Cup.
Rhys Priestland
Experienced operator Priestland played 32 times and scored 193 points in two years at Cardiff having returned to Wales after a long stint at Bath. The fly-half even managed to add to his haul of Cymru test caps, before leaving the club last summer.
While not officially announcing any retirement, the 37-year-old has not gone on to sign elsewhere so signs off with an excellent showing at Judgement Day being his last game. Priestland now works as a financial advisor while doing some pundit work on the side.
Jason Harries
Someone who did announce their retirement from professional rugby was winger Harries, after a career that spanned Scarlets, London Scottish and Edinburgh, as well as Cymru D20 and 7s honours, before scoring 13 tries in 58 games for Cardiff.
He did not get very far from the Arms Park through as he joined the club’s commercial department and signed semi-professional terms with the Rags, playing 12 times in all competitions as Steve Law’s side made the Premiership semi-finals.
James Ratti
Another player that many supporters were sad to see leave, Ratti had been a success story of the new aligned approach between the Rags and first team when signing on semi-professional terms after release from the Ospreys in 2019, impressing enough to earn a full-time deal.
58 appearances for the first team later he returned to the Ospreys where he has been a key cog in their pack, playing 20 times, and finished the season unlucky not to be recalled to the Cymru squad.
Joe Peard
Still an odd one 12 months later, second row Peard departed the club last summer just one season after signing from the Dragons with Cardiff having beaten off interest from Saracens to get his signature. Only eight Rags appearances materialised in that time, before he departed for Ampthill in the English Championship.
The big lock played regularly for Paul Turner’s side, who finished a solid seventh in the league, but leaves the club this off-season and is expected to sign for Newport in Super Rygbi Cymru.
Olly Robinson
Arms Park cult hero Robinson’s departure was confirmed during the 22/23 campaign as it ended on a sour note after a terrific contribution to the club from the flanker. Arriving initially on-loan from Bristol he played 80 games in all competitions, including key contributions in the 2018 Challenge Cup Final.
Initially playing for Leicester and then Hartpury in the English Championship, it appears Robinson has called it a day on his rugby career now and is working as a financial advisor.
Theo Bevacqua
Loosehead prop Bevacqua left the Academy after one first team appearance and 10 Rags outings. Was still involved with the Rags at the start of the season but played exclusively for Cardiff Uni once BUCS Super Rugby got up and running, and led his team out at an ultimately unsuccessful Welsh Varsity game.
Ethan Lloyd
A member of the Champions Cup misfits squads, scrum-half Lloyd was a Rags regular with 45 appearances in the Premiership before leaving the Academy and signing for Merthyr where he has been a regular in the matchday 23 last season.
Harrison James
The Cymru D20 man was a surprise release last summer with the club struggling for numbers at 10, but has stayed in and around the club training regularly with the first team and playing 24 times, scoring 179 points, in all competitions for the Rags, as well as appearing sporadically for Cardiff Uni.
Ryan Wilkins
Another member of the Champions Cup misfits, he made 20 appearances for the Rags around a tough spell of injury before being released and joining Pontypridd where he has been a regular member of the midfield at Sardis Road when fit.
Tommy Davies
Still an enigma, Davies appeared to sign for the Academy from Millfield with little or no fanfare, not playing for the Rags while a fresher at Cardiff Met. Still a student at Cyncoed he has appeared sporadically for their Championship side this season.
Ben Burnell
After injuries disrupted his development, fly-half Burnell left part way through the 22/23 to join Jersey Reds in the English Championship. Unfortunately he was caught up in their sad demise early in the last campaign and returned to South Wales signing with Pontypridd and training regularly with Cardiff, even touring South Africa with the first team recently. Expected to sign for Bridgend in Super Rygbi Cymru next season.
Rhys Anstey
Another mid-season departure, the lock had been part of the misfits squad and played 30 times for the Rags, but departed for Ealing Trailfinders ahead of Lloyd Williams and Brad Thyer. Never actually appears to have played for them though, instead spending time on loan at Richmond and Coventry before being released by the West London outfit this summer.
Willis Halaholo, Rey Lee-Lo & Harri Millard
Well, they appeared on the departure list because, at the time of writing, they were departing. However all three ended up re-signing at Cardiff with Lee-Lo and Millard coming in prior to the start of the new season, while Halaholo was eventually re-signed on a short term deal before extending through to the end of the campaign.
Cardiff Rugby Life 