Latest news with #DanBiggar
Wales Online
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
The big-name Welsh players now looking for new clubs as exits confirmed
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Several top Welsh rugby players are on the hunt for new jobs after it was confirmed that they would be leaving their current clubs this summer. As is the case every season, the culmination of the 2024/25 campaign will see some high-profile departures take place in Wales and across the rugby world, with big names saying their farewells. For some, their stints with their team may have been short, while others are leaving after years of service, having become fan favourites or even club legends. For the likes of Wales legends Dan Biggar, Justin Tipuric and Dan Lydiate, their playing careers have simply reached the end of the road with all three hanging up their boots this summer. However, there are other big Welsh names who believe they still have plenty to offer on the field and are now looking to move to pastures new after becoming free agents. Wales international Regan Grace is one of nine players who will leave Cardiff this summer, having made four appearances for the Arms Park side since joining as injury cover on a short-term deal in January. After an injury-hit start to his time in rugby union, the former St Helens star has previously said he is determined to crack the code and, as a result, he may look to sign for a team to stay in the 15-a-side code. Such a move would help him in his bid to win his first Wales cap, having made his one and only international appearance to date in last summer's uncapped match against Queensland Reds. However, Grace has also admitted that a return to rugby league remains "an option" for him this summer, with another code switch certainly not off the table. Fellow Cardiff wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb is also on the market after announcing his departure from Arms Park, although he is widely expected to sign for Leicester Tigers after a strong end to the season in blue and black. Over in Llanelli, Wales international Steff Evans is moving on after 11 seasons with the Scarlets, having made over 190 appearances for the region and helped them to the PRO12 title in 2017. Evans, who battled back from a serious Achilles injury this season, is still only 30 and could provide any interested clubs with a solid back-three option, although he hasn't given any indication yet of what his next move will be. The Dragons have also revealed their end-of-season departures, with 58-cap former Wales star Scott Williams not offered a deal to stay on at Rodney Parade. The former Scarlets and Ospreys centre had trained with Filo Tiatia's side this season and made three appearances, including an impressive performances against the Scarlets at Judgement Day. However, the 34-year-old - who also played for Pontypool in Super Rygbi Cymru earlier in the season - is now looking for a new club again. Wing Ashton Hewitt will also leave the Dragons after making 130 appearances in 12 years, parting ways with the Men of Gwent as their second-highest try scorer of all time. His next destination is also yet to be confirmed, but it is believed that Worcester Warriors - who have also signed Welsh stars Will Reed and Lloyd Williams ahead of their Champ Rugby return next season - recently showed interest in the 30-year-old. However, it is not just within Wales that top Welsh players are searching for a new club, with Liam Williams confirming that he is on the lookout for a new adventure after leaving Saracens. The 93-cap international signed for the English giants in November after a spell in Japan, but a knee injury sustained during the opening match of the Six Nations against France has ruled him out of action since. But with his recovery progressing well, 34-year-old Williams is not ready to hang up his boots just yet. "I'll be looking for a club after that [recovery]," he told the Sportin Wales podcast. "It's nice going into training. I've enjoyed it over the last 12 years so if there's any clubs out there who want me for an extra year, sign me up." Earlier this year, he told WalesOnline: "I think I've got a couple of years left, to be honest with you. My aim is to get 100 caps for Wales and if that happens it is the icing on the cake and if it doesn't then it doesn't that is just the way it is. But that's my aim." Meanwhile, Rhys Patchell could also potentially move back to Wales after taking up a break clause to leave Japanese side NEC Green Rockets a year early and become a free agent. The 22-cap international fly-half also enjoyed a stint at New Zealand Super Rugby outfit the Highlanders before his move to Japan, but could prove to be of interest to one of Wales' professional sides with plenty still to offer at the age of 32. Patchell previously admitted that he had missed Wales during his time in Japan, telling S4C's Jonathan in March: "This might sound really deep now, but I didn't think 'hiraeth' was a real thing. I thought it was just this really wishy-washy thing that people spoke about which wasn't real. "When you reach the longest stint I've done out there, 10 or 12 weeks, by then I was ready to come home. I wanted my fix of Wales."
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
New WRU boss tells Dan Biggar about Wales' next coach and might call him for help
New WRU boss tells Dan Biggar about Wales' next coach and might call him for help The new WRU director of performance was appearing on Dan Biggar's A Load of BS on Sport podcast New WRU chief Dave Reddin and Dan Biggar, inset New Welsh Rugby Union director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin has outlined what he wants from Wales' new coach, as he revealed how he could tap into the experience of former players like Dan Biggar. Reddin was appointed last month, with his first task as Nigel Walker's replacement being to throw himself into the search for Warren Gatland's successor, after the Wales coach walked away from his job mid-Six Nations. The former FA performance expert doesn't start officially with the WRU until September, but with the search for a head coach already well underway, Reddin is already understood to have put his own stamp on the existing search. Appearing on former Wales fly-half Biggar's A Load of BS on Sport podcast, Reddin outlined the credentials for the new coach of the national team and how he envisaged his working relationship with the new appointment looking like. "If we think about the head coach, it's different," said Reddin. "It's a different role than maybe before in the sense of I've worked alongside head coaches in a very operational capacity previously. "Now I think it's about providing that person with the vision so they understand where the organization's trying to go, but then the appropriate level of challenge and support, which will change at different times. That's a judgment call. "You've got to understand the people and the personality and the experience and choose your moments wisely. I don't think anybody particularly enjoys a whole bunch of challenge the moment you walk through the door. Article continues below "It is about supporting that person into the role and helping them understand that there's a lot of support around them. This is bigger than just one team. It's a pathway and a system we're trying to create. "So I very much want to be a support to the head coach, to act as a sounding board when necessary. And I hope someone whose expertise they can tap into as and when they need it." In terms of his role in the search process itself, he added: "Over the last week or so I've really just been picking up what's been happening so far and the list of people in the process that they've gone through. "And then I've spent some time now just putting some traits, competencies and behaviours that we might be looking for around that sort of person. It's important to say there's never a perfect candidate, that no one ever fits that profile absolutely perfectly. "But I think if I was to pick out some of the things that I'd be looking for, certainly someone who's got a great track record of development, they understand and they're passionate about development. So they can understand and relate to younger players. They've got a real passion for how to get the best out of that group of talent that's there. "I'd love to work with someone who's really curious and open-minded and willing to, to try some different things in the pursuit of really trying to make a leap rather than just a couple of steps forward over the next few years with the team. "Then I think somebody who really wants to buy into a system approach rather than it just being all about the team. Someone who genuinely wants to collaborate internally within the WRU , but also recognizes the importance of the regions and the relationships with the regions so that, almost scale-wise, you could imagine that whole system looking like a really big club. "Metaphorically, you can pop down to the training ground, which is in Cardiff or Swansea or whatever, as a manager in a football team might do when he's going to see the academy. Different people will bring some of those traits in different qualities. "As always, it's about making the optimal compromise because as I've experienced before, hiring a couple of coaches recently in Spain, you can start off with this beautiful profile and then it's about who's available, who wants to do the job, who wants to buy into it and can you get them? So there's a whole series of factors that come into play." Steve Tandy is favourite to land the Wales head coach job (Image:) As he offered comparisons to the job Gareth Southgate did in turning around England's national football team following their early exit at Euro 2016, Reddin noted that "belief isn't this thing that just sort of floats around in the air". "Belief has to be anchored in something that you actually do," he said. "You have to have something to believe in. That could be objective statistics on your fitness levels, or your performance statistically in a game, or the last time you'd managed to win or whatever it is. "You build belief through actions and activities. You don't build it by showing motivational videos, getting people in a circle, having a hug and just shouting 'believe'. It's a process. It takes time. "You build it through the quality of your training sessions. You build it through small wins. That's what we did there (at the FA) and I'm sure any high quality head coach would recognise the same sort of traits." Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free It's something that Biggar himself admitted to recognising, with the two-time Lions tourist admitting there had been times where he and his team-mates hadn't necessarily agreed with coaches, but - because they had seen the process worked - they had belief in what they were being instructed to do. Obviously, on the back of 17 straight Test defeats, Wales' national team is abundantly short on belief. Tapping into former players, like Biggar, who have been in more successful recent sides is an obvious solution that has been suggested on more than one occasion recently. Towards the end of Gatland's second stint, WRU CEO Abi Tierney said she was going to set up a panel that would have former internationals on it to offer rugby insight to the board. And, as Gatland's relationship with the media and, in particular, former players working as pundits soured ahead of his exit, the criticism from his more staunch defenders was why some former players in the media weren't helping out with Welsh rugby. It's an argument that Biggar himself admitted to finding interesting on the podcast, noting that looking to past generations for advice could just pile more pressure on the current generation. Former players could be asked to help Prior to taking the job, Reddin actually sounded out the likes of Biggar and Jamie Roberts - and he remains open to listening to past players, but on his own terms. "What I meant is certainly not 'let's bring people in to talk about the past and when we were winning, we did this and the other'," he explained. "Cause we have all been in those rooms when a previous generation came in and maybe there's a couple of nuggets of advice, but generally you don't want to go back because it is different. "Every year is different. What I'm talking about is those small little nuanced conversations that someone like you, as a result of your experience, might just be able to pass on to a young player that's not in the coaching manual. "It's maybe not even something that an elite coach has in their repertoire to be able to communicate because it's just that read that you had. It's the little thing that you saw as a result of the number of games that you've played in that sort of pressure or that small way that you had of just preparing in a particular context, or it was the way that you handled negative feedback. Dan Biggar has had plenty to say about Wales' struggles (Image: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency ) "It's those sort of things that I think can be incredibly valuable. Not in a sort of a mandated way. It's about having someone there that you can go to if you need. "It's not there trying to force their experience down your throat, but equally they're there being able to just be another voice, another person you can turn to. "Now, I think what you also highlighted is the head coach has got to be comfortable having those people around. They don't feel threatened by it, that they feel that it's actually a benefit, that it's not cutting across them. That's an important quality, that sort of humility. Article continues below "And back to what I said earlier about collaboration and open-mindedness, I think is an important part of accessing that experience and those resources that former players might bring." After Biggar joked that he was unemployed at the end of the season and was more than happy to help out, Reddin added: "I know where you live and I will be calling so don't worry."
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Retiring Biggar targets family time over full coaching role
Dan Biggar has ruled out moving into coaching full time in the immediate future when he retires as a player at the end of the 35-year-old former British and Irish Lions and Wales fly-half will finish his 18-year career at French club Toulon, who he joined in November former Ospreys and Northampton Saints player is open to the possibility of a part-time consultancy role, but in the meantime will content himself with media work and being able to spend more time with his family."I think initially I'm feeling quite excited... for the last 18 or 19 years I've been told I've got to be in this place and doing this exercise, or this meeting or whatever it is. I've been told what to wear, what time to get on a bus, what time to get on a 'plane," Biggar said, speaking on the BBC Radio Wales phone-in. "We've never been able to just book something in advance, so my wife asked me the other day can we take the kids to Disneyland around Halloween. So without even thinking I said, 'Yeah let's book it now, let's do it'. That's kind of the first time in 19 years I've been able to do that."I think clearly the novelty of that will eventually wear off, I think I'm going to have to have some sort of routine but I think it's nice. I need routine in my life but given also how much routine I have had, it will be nice to have some freedom with that. "If I want to go and play golf on a Wednesday afternoon, or if I want to take the kids away for a weekend and things like that, it still gives me that freedom."So I'm not sure exactly what the future holds for me, media bits and pieces, some stuff like that. Hopefully we're going to stay living in France, which will be great for the kids with the whole lifestyle, and we'll just take it from there."I would love to do coaching and the media route, for anyone who does media, is the easier route than coaching. You're sitting there watching it with cameras and slo-mo; since I've retired I've never made a mistake for Wales! You become the perfect player, you say 'I wouldn't have done that, or that'."So I'm not saying for one minute it's the easier route, I've got so much time for the coaches and things. But what I don't want to give after 18-19 years in the game, is I don't want to be giving up the time that coaches in the professional game - particularly at club level - have to give."If you're a player you switch off when you get in your car and go home for the night. Coaches don't do that, coaches are there every weekend, every night on the laptop. If someone said to me you could coach from eight o'clock in the morning until three o'clock in the afternoon Monday to Friday I'd probably snap your hand off, but I know that just isn't good enough to get it done to a level I wanted, and it's just not achievable in the modern day."I'd love to be able to help out in some way, in terms of whether it's a consultancy role a couple of days a week or whatever, but the full-time coaching is probably a little bit beyond what I'm prepared to give from a time point of view." Biggar began his rugby career at Gorseinon RFC and went on to play for Swansea RFC, Ospreys and English side Northampton before joining Toulon in November 2022, and he will finish his career with the French powerhouses at the end of the season. The 35-year-old won 112 caps for Wales in an international career spanning 15 years, which included two British and Irish Lions tours on which he made three Test appearances in South Africa in scored more than 600 Test points, won three Six Nations titles and a Grand Slam with Wales and also captained his country. His final international appearance was at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Time to 'give back' to family Biggar admits that the decision to retire is one that has been on his mind for some time."I didn't just wake up one morning and think 'you know what, today is the day (to retire)'," he said."I think after the (2023) World Cup, I think my whole career had been based on playing to the highest level, whether that was Wales, the Lions, World Cups etc."When I finished with Wales 18 months ago after the World Cup it was kind of like at the minute you were just going from week to week and you realise how nice it is being at home a bit more."And things haven't quite gone as well as I would have liked this year in terms of playing-wise in Toulon, I'm coming towards the end, and I just thought well why not get out ahead of it a little bit and make the decision myself."It just felt like the time was right from a family perspective, from a playing perspective and from what I've got going on off the field it just felt like the right time, and time to give back a little bit, a bit of time back to my family as well."The thing I'm most proud of in my career - because it is a job at the end of the day, people sometimes forget it's a job - is being able to give my kids and my wife, I suppose, a great opportunity in life."That was probably something that when I was younger I could never have dreamed of for them, so that was a big influence in it and you don't realise how much it affects your kids, your wife and people closest to you."Because they're the ones who have to pick the pieces up when things are difficult, when you don't want to go out for dinner, out of your front door - you come home in a bad mood or you're injured or whatever it is."They have to miss out on so much and for me I just thought this is the time now when we're young, we're healthy, we're able to do loads of things, give the kids opportunities, and it just felt like it was right to give some of my time back to them, because they've given everything of theirs to me over the last six or seven years that we've had kids and my wife for the previous 18." Stand-out win 'will be talked about' Over his stellar career, Biggar picks out the 2013 Six Nations win over England as his highlight, a game in which Wales inflicted a record 30-3 defeat on their Grand Slam-chasing opponents and seized the championship from them in the final round of games."I've been asked this a few times over probably the last 18 months or so... 2013 when we had the (Six Nations) championship decider against England was probably the best moment for me, because I feel it's something that people will talk about that game in five, 10, 15, 20 years' time, a bit like the 2005 game where Wales won the Grand Slam," Biggar said."It was a perfect day - England coming for the Grand Slam, the roof shut, atmosphere incredible, going for the championship. I suppose everything just fell into place that day and I've heard people describe it as 'the perfect day'."Certainly from a players' perspective it couldn't have been any better really; to have played a huge part in that and been successful to have picked up a trophy at the end of it... is special." Goal-kicking and the 'Biggar boogie' Biggar made his Ospreys debut in 2008 and during an 11-year spell made 221 appearances and scored 2,203 points, making him the region's record points scorer, while he also collected more than 600 Test points, the model of a metronomic kicker."People think when you're kicking at goal and people nail big kicks, and being able to do that for large periods of their career, you always think that people don't feel nerves, or the emotion, don't feel the pressure," Biggar said."That couldn't be further from it. You're aware of the situation, the scenario, you're aware of the facts if you miss. But in that moment there (the winning penalty kick in the 2015 World Cup pool game that saw Wales beat England 28-25) I was in such a groove, such a zone where I didn't really feel like I was missing."Goal-kicking is 95% in the head, 5% is technical and for me it's always about just trying to make sure I gave myself the best chance, get as good a contact on the ball as possible and try and take the situation out of it - whether you're 30 points up or it's a kick to win the game, you want to try and hit the ball the same either way."I've always tried to do that, sometimes it's worked. Thankfully in 2015 it worked very well, and that's one of the best ones (memories) as well to be fair to go with 2013."As well as his accuracy with the boot, Biggar was noted for what became his trademark fidgety pre-kick routine that some have dubbed 'the Biggar boogie'."I was kind of thrust into the limelight being Wales' frontline kicker in that (2015 World Cup) tournament and we'd just been to Qatar for a training camp in July, which was rather hot and sweaty and uncomfortable," explained Biggar."So I kind of just felt myself a little more fidgety and aware of all the sweat and the heat and things like that, and it just transformed back into London and Cardiff. I didn't realise I was doing that until I came back into the team room on Monday morning and the boys were just chucking all the videos onto YouTube."I'm just so glad I was able to be successful doing that, because if I'd missed four or five from seven and did that I think I'd have taken a fair bit more stick as well."
Reuters
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Former Wales captain Biggar to retire at end of season
LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - Former Wales and British & Irish Lions flyhalf Dan Biggar has announced he will retire at the end of the season, bringing down the curtain on an 18-year playing career. The 35-year-old earned his first Wales cap in 2008 and went on to make 112 appearances for his country, racking up more than 600 points and winning three Six Nations titles including a Grand Slam. Biggar, who went on two Lions tours, is currently playing for French club Toulon who he joined in 2022. "There comes a point where you just know, not because of anything in particular, but someone once said to me 'when you know, you'll know'," Biggar said on social media. "Rugby has given me everything. I threw myself into this game at 17 and it's given me a life that I could never have imagined. I've lived out my childhood dreams for the best part of two decades and I'm so, so grateful for that."
Express Tribune
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Dan Biggar, ex-Lions and Wales fly-half, announces rugby retirement
Dan Biggar, the former British and Irish Lions and Wales fly-half, has confirmed he will retire from professional rugby at the end of the current season, concluding a decorated 18-year career. Biggar, 34, made the announcement on social media, revealing he would hang up his boots after finishing the season with French Top 14 side Toulon, where he has played since November 2022. He earned 112 caps for Wales across a 15-year international career, amassing over 600 points. His final appearance for the national side came in their 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina. During his time in a red jersey, Biggar helped Wales secure three Six Nations titles, including a Grand Slam. He also captained the team during Wayne Pivac's tenure as head coach. In addition to his international achievements, Biggar was selected for two British and Irish Lions tours. He featured in three Test matches during the 2021 series against South Africa. 'There comes a point where you just know,' Biggar said in his retirement statement. 'Not because of anything in particular, but someone once said to me when you know, you'll know.' 'Rugby has given me everything. I threw myself into this game at 17 and it's given me a life that I could never have imagined. I've lived out my childhood dreams for the best part of two decades and I'm so, so grateful for that.' Biggar began his senior career with the Ospreys before moving to Northampton Saints in 2018. He quickly became known for his reliability off the tee, tactical kicking, and competitive spirit on the pitch. Toulon have yet to confirm when Biggar will play his final match, but tributes from across the rugby world have already begun pouring in for one of Wales' most influential players of the modern era. The retirement marks the end of an era for Wales rugby, as Biggar follows a line of senior players stepping back from international duty post-World Cup
