A raft of players are leaving the region this summer
Cardiff Rugby have confirmed that nine players will leave the region this summer, with a club legend and a Wales international among those departing.
Ahead of the region’s annual awards night on Wednesday evening, tributes were paid to those that would be moving on to pastures new, with legendary centre Rey Lee-Lo honoured with a special recognition award as his departure was confirmed. The 38-year-old made 180 appearances for the region having joined a decade ago and quickly became a fan favourite at Arms Park, with Cardiff saying he will “go down as one of our greats”.
Wales international Regan Grace – who joined the club as injury cover on a short-term deal in January – is also moving on, having made four appearances in all competitions.
The former St Helens star has previously said he would like to try and crack rugby union, but also admitted that a return to rugby league is “an option” for him this summer after an injury-hit start to his time in the 15-a-side code.
Flanker Gwilym Bradley is also among those leaving after an injury-hit five years at the club, while the other departures had already been confirmed or heavily expected.
Earlier on Wednesday, Gabriel Hamer-Webb was confirmed to be leaving, with the wing linked with a move to Leicester Tigers in the Gallagher Premiership following a strong finish to the season.
Hamer-Webb, who is eligible to play for either Wales and England at international level, scored seven tries in his final four matches for the region – including a Judgement Day hat-trick against the Ospreys – but missed out on a place in Matt Sherratt’s Wales squad for the summer tour of Japan.
The trio of Seb Davies, Thomas Young and Tinus de Beer are also among the departures, with all three players set to make the move down the M4 to join the Dragons.
The signing of Young, who has four Wales caps and was a consistent performer during his time at Arms Park, has already been confirmed by the Rodney Parade outfit, with the Davies and de Beer deals set to be made official soon.
Highly-rated hooker Efan Daniel is also leaving, with the Ospreys closing in on the signing of the 22-year-old, who was called up by Wales for their summer tour of Australia last year.
Daniel’s departure follows that of fellow front row Rhys Litterick, who signed for Edinburgh on a two-year deal last month having moved to Wales from Harlequins at the start of the last campaign.
Announcing the raft of exits on Wednesday night, a post on Cardiff’s official X account read: “Before the awards begin, we’d like to thank those who are leaving us, and wish them the best of luck for the future. Diolch.”
While nine players are leaving, Cardiff have also brought in some new faces ahead of next season, with three players confirmed to be joining this summer.
Wales back row Taine Basham has signed for Sherratt’s side from the Dragons with Davies, Young and de Beer going the other way, while fellow Welsh international Ioan Lloyd has joined from the Scarlets.
Looking to the future, the Arms Park side have also brought in Wales U20s lock Tom Cottle, with the teenager signing a Senior Academy contract in January.
