Posted by Despite the feeling that the 2024/25 campaign continues to stretch on forever after a lengthy summer international window is elongated by the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia, it is roughly around the mid-point of the off season for Cardiff Rugby.
As attention slowly begins to turn towards 2025/26, and the Blue & Blacks have actually completed the first block of pre-season training, it seems a good time to wrap up the last campaign by summarising the leavers from the Arms Park after a simultaneously positive and turbulent year.
After going into administration the fear was a mass exodus but in the end only nine senior squad members have gone out the door, not including Mackenzie Martin who has gone on a season-long loan to Dragons, allowing an element of continuity for Matt Sherratt even if some of those departing will be very difficult to replace.
Rey Lee-Lo
Starting with the most difficult to replace of all. Outside centre Lee-Lo arrived in late 2015 as a Super Rugby winner with the Hurricanes and immediately became a key member of the squad, going on to make 180 appearances for the club to sit 9th on the post-2003 appearances list.
An important cog in the 2017/18 European Challenge Cup winning team, the Samoan international became a fan favourite for the consistent quality of his performances over a decade at the Arms Park, earning a reputation as a fearsome spot blitzer in the 13 channel and with an uncanny ability to beat the first man when ball carrying.
Lee-Lo will now transition into an off-field role at Cardiff, the exact scope of which hasn’t been announced yet although he’s been a constant presence in pre-season training videos so far. Any knowledge he can pass on to young centres Elijah Evans and Osian Darwin-Lewis in particular, but any member of the squad on a general level, will be invaluable.
Seb Davies
Another man who has been at the club for a decade, second row Davies graduated the academy having made his debut in the Anglo-Welsh Cup during the 2014/15 season. After a breakout 2016/17 he made his Cymru debut on that summer’s tour of the Pacific Islands before cementing his spot as a key member of the pack during 2017/18.
A starter in Bilbao he would go on to face the Springboks twice on the tour of South Africa in 2018, but some fiddling with his position after direction from the national team somewhat stunted his development with forays into the number eight jersey over the next few years up to the enforced break of the covid-19 pandemic.
Davies remained a mainstay in the Cardiff side though and made his 150th appearance for the club against Lions in March, ensuring his name goes down as a Blue & Black stalwart. He now heads east to join the Dragons looking for a regular spot in the starting XV at Rodney Parade.
Thomas Young
A second departure from the Arms Park for flanker Young who returned to the club in the summer of 2022 and made 43 appearances in all competitions having come through the academy to make 19 appearances before moving on in 2014.
One of the top opensides in northern hemisphere club rugby over the last decade at Wasps and Cardiff, the 33-year-old is widely considered to be unlucky to have only won four Wales caps across his career to-date, none of which came during this second spell in the capital despite winning the URC’s Turnover King award in 2022/23.
Young also makes the move east to the Dragons where he will look to help them turn their fortunes around on-field and act as a mentor to another former Cardiff pathway man in Harry Beddall who has signed from Leicester Tigers.
Rhys Litterick
This one is a departure that may turn out to be a bit of a loss to Welsh rugby as a whole, as well as just Cardiff. Tighthead Litterick joined the club in the summer of 2023 having been a latecomer to professional rugby after being picked up by Harlequins from Worthing RFC and spending a few years being coached up by Adam Jones but without any real first team opportunities.
Coming to the Arms Park though he took his chance at top level rugby with both hands, making 36 appearances in two seasons as he served as the primary back up to Keiron Assiratti, coming off the bench to replace him and stepping in to start when the Welsh international was away with the national team or sidelined through injury.
Noticeable improvements in that time saw him become a solid scrummager, valuable attacking option with his sharp hands and a contributor over the ball on defence, but he now heads to Edinburgh with Scottish qualification in his back pocket at a time when Cymru’s tighthead depth is looking shaky at best. Welsh rugby can’t be losing young players in key positions.
Tinus De Beer
The dictionary definition of cult hero. 2023/24 may well be remembered as “Tinus’ season” in future such was the South African’s impact on what was a bizarre but supremely enjoyable campaign as he came in from the Pumas of the Currie Cup and immediately became a favourite of the Arms Park faithful.
A totally unknown quantity on his arrival he caught the eye with his all-action style of play from fly-half; carrying, tackling and jackaling like a back rower rather than a fancy stand-off. His 110% effort level while starting in 21 of the 22 games Cardiff played was the cherry on top of the cake.
Unfortunately De Beer found minutes hard to come by over the last 12 months as Callum Sheedy came in and his quality kept the South African’s game time limited, but as he also heads for the Dragons he knows he will always be welcome back in the capital.
Gabriel Hamer-Webb
A cult hero particularly in my eyes, incredibly muscly winger Hamer-Webb burst on to the Cardiff scene after arriving as short-term injury cover, scoring off the bench on debut against Stormers and then again a few weeks later against former club Bath in the Investec Champions Cup.
After going away briefly to Northampton he returned for the end of 23/24 and then signed on full-time for 24/25, scoring nine tries in 17 matches including a superb hat-trick in the Judgement Day win over Ospreys that will be well remembered by all who saw it, and his arms.
A pace merchant with unbelievable physique (have I mentioned his arms?) he displayed a natural ability to hunt tries as well as becoming an asset aerially. A loss to the club no doubt as Hamer-Webb heads back to England to ply his trade at Leicester next season.
Efan Daniel
Young hooker Daniel departs for the Ospreys this summer in the hunt for more regular game time to take his career to the next level at this critical point of his development.
The 22-year-old was identified early as a talent with his physicality, pace and work rate obvious to anyone who watched him come through the age grade system before stepping up and catching the eye while winning 12 Cymru D20 caps and making 21 appearances for the Rags.
Promoted to the first team after making his debut against Leinster still only aged 19 he became a regular in the matchday 23 during the 23/24 season and ended it with a call-up to the Cymru squad that toured Australia, coming off the bench against the Reds. However, the simultaneous emergence of Evan Lloyd has restricted his minutes leading to his switch down west.
Gwilym Bradley
The 24-year-old joined the club via the WRU Exiles programme while still playing for and studying at the University of Bath, playing semi-regularly for the first team through the back end of 20/21 and the Rainbow Cup before becoming a key member of the 21/22 Premiership winning Rags side once rugby at that level resumed post-covid.
At the start of the 22/23 season the flanker returned to the first team but a foot injury suffered in training in South Africa would lead to 21 months on the sideline before taking the field once again against Ealing in pre-season ahead of 24/25. Unfortunately a shoulder injury picked up against Ebbw Vale resulted in a further six months out.
In that time Bradley has thrown himself into coaching, taking up roles with the Cardiff EPP side at U15 level and the Cardiff U16 teams in the Regional Age Grade Championship. He continues to train with the club through this summer with his next steps yet to be officially confirmed.
Regan Grace
Port Talbot-born winger Grace joined the club from Bath in early January during a shortage of back three players at the Arms Park having had a tough time since the summer of 2022 when he ruptured his achilles playing for St Helens RL ahead of a code switch to Racing 92, subsequently re-rupturing it while in Paris.
After leaving Racing and switching to Bath he played a handful of games but was allowed to join Cardiff where he played four times but failed to hold down a spot in the first team. The 28-year-old’s next move is yet to be confirmed but he has been linked with a return to the 13-man game.
Kodie Stone
Lightning back three player Stone came through the Cardiff pathway having started out at Abercwmboi RFC and then switching to Aberdare RFC. He studied at Coleg y Cymoedd, featuring for them in the WRU College League, while making the step up from age grade rugby to the Premiership aged still only 17.
He scored 3 tries in 11 games for the Rags during 23/24, as well as winning three Cymru D20 caps, before one try in nine games last season. He now makes the move up the A470 to Merthyr where he will continue his development with the Ironmen.
Fraser Jones
Versatile back Jones makes the switch to Bridgend this summer after a year with the senior academy. The West Walian played age grade rugby for the Scarlets and had played for Narberth in the Championship and Swansea University in BUCS Super Rugby where he came to the attention of Gruff Rees and the Rags.
He made one appearance during 23/24 against Newport before featuring more regularly in 24/25, playing seven times at either fly-half or inside centre. Jones was also involved with wider Cymru D20 training squads and will look to kick on at the Brewery Field in Super Rygbi Cymru.
Thank you to all the players for their contributions to Cardiff Rugby and best of luck in whatever comes next.
Cardiff Rugby Life 