Wales and Cardiff Rugby player Ellis Jenkins announces retirement because of knee injury

Wales and Cardiff Rugby player Ellis Jenkins has announced he'll retire at the end of the season after 13 years in the sport.

In a statement through Cardiff Rugby the flanker said he was "prioritising life after rugby after battling back from a near career ending knee injury, which still requires continued management."

He made 15 senior appearances for Wales following his debut aged 23 in 2016. He captained Wales for the first time in 2018 against South Africa, and went on to lead the squad a total of four times.

Since his first appearance during the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Jenkins has made 147 first team appearances for the club who describe him as a "key figure and leader at the Arms Park."

He led Cardiff to a second European Challenge Cup title in Bilbao in 2018.

However, six months later he suffered a significant ACL knee injury during Wales' victory over South Africa with a man-of-the-match performance at the Principality Stadium.

He returned after two years on the sidelines, adding 43 club appearances and a further four Test caps to his name.

Jenkins said: “I told Jockey (Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt) at the start of the season that this would be my last and after 13 years, it feels like the right time.

“There have been a lot of highs and lows through my career and obviously my knee still requires a lot of management, particularly if I’m playing week in, week out. I am no longer able to train at the way I would like, which is frustrating.

“It’s been tough physically and mentally but I am enormously proud of everything I have achieved in my career, particularly coming back from such a big injury to play for Cardiff and Wales again.

“The highs are of course things like Bilbao, derbies and European occasions at the Arms Park, winning my first cap and captaining Wales, but also the experiences, travel and friendships rugby has given me.

“I have been very fortunate and I am enormously grateful to everyone who has supported me on my journey from my family and friends, to my coaches and teammates, to the supporters, who have always been great.

“I am now looking forward to enjoying rugby from the terrace with a beer, doing all the things I could not do as a player and leading a fit and active life with my young family.

“There are still a few games left this season, which we are all highly motivated for and on a personal level, to have the chance to run out at Cardiff Arms Park one more time is something that will mean a huge amount.”

Speaking of his contribution to the club, Cardiff Rugby chair, Alun Jones, said: “Ellis has been an outstanding player and ambassador for the club for so many years and can be incredibly proud of his career.

“He is not only a wonderful player but a great leader and the resilience he showed to overcome the injury he suffered in 2018, is an inspiration to us all. To continue playing for Cardiff and to return to the international stage is no mean feat.

“On behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to congratulate Ellis on an incredible career and l look forward to watching him one more time at the Arms Park this weekend.”

Matt Sherratt added: “It’s always a sad moment when a player retires, particularly one of Ellis’ calibre and stature in the game, but he can be enormously proud of everything he has achieved both in a Cardiff and Wales jersey.

“Not only does he possess a brilliant, natural understanding of the game, he is a great professional, role model and leader within the environment, who has been a key figure throughout my time at the club.

“The injury he suffered playing for Wales in 2018, was obviously a big moment in his career. He was at the peak of his powers, having just led the club the European Challenge Cup career.

“To come back from that injury tells you everything you need to know about his determination and resilience.

“He has remained an important figure here and his performances this season have been right up there.

“It is brilliant that Ellis will get one last chance to run out at the Arms Park and we are all hoping for a bumper crowd.”

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