Leigh Halfpenny: Wales full-back legend announces rugby retirement

Halfpenny was originally a member of the Ospreys Academy who dropped him due to concerns about his size.

He signed for Cardiff Blues ahead of the 2007–08 season and played for Cardiff RFC and the then Cardiff Blues between 2007 and 2014.

“I will be forever grateful to Cardiff for giving me the opportunity to join the academy and start my professional career,” Halfpenny said.

“I felt instantly at home and will always look back on Cardiff as one of the most memorable years of my life.”

During that seven-year spell, Halfpenny made 87 appearances and scored 568 points, winning the Emlyn (now European) Challenge Cup and the (now defunct) Anglo-Welsh Cup.

He signed for Toulon in 2014, winning the 2015 European Champions Cup with the French side before returning to Wales with the Scarlets in 2017, spending six seasons at Llanelli.

Halfpenny traveled to New Zealand to join the Crusaders in 2024 before linking up with Harlequins the following year.

After being involved as kicking coach in Wales’ summer tour of Japan in 2025, Halfpenny returned to Cardiff in September 2025 on a short-term contract as a kicking coach and player, which was extended until the end of the season.

He played his first game for the Blue and Blacks 4,347 in days When he faced Ulster in victory in December 2025 and also appeared against the same opposition the following month.

An appearance off the bench in the 21–14 defeat to Belfast could be his final professional match, if Halfpenny is not involved in Cardiff’s remaining two United Rugby Championship (URC) matches against Glasgow and the Stormers, or any other play-off games.

“It’s a special club and it means a lot to be able to finish my playing career where I started,” Halfpenny said.

“I gave everything to rugby, and in return, it gave me more than I could have dreamed of.

“It won’t be easy to say goodbye but I’m finishing with an immense sense of pride and gratitude.”