Leaving Cardiff: Jamie Roberts
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Cardiff Blues have confirmed that Wales centre Jamie Roberts will leave the region at the end of the season with reports in the Welsh press suggesting he will join Racing Metro.
Blues chief executive Richard Holland has admitted that the British and Irish Lions centre rejected a contract renewal and is now set to join the growing number of Welsh internationals in France.
"The offer we made to Jamie was an extremely attractive one and would have seen him become certainly the highest paid player in the Blues squad, and arguably in the UK," said Holland.
"As a business, we simply don't have the resource to compete with the offers that Jamie has received.
"Naturally we are disappointed that Jamie has decided to leave the region, but we wish him the best of luck with his career.
"Given news of Jamie's departure, we will begin the search to find a suitable marquee player who will be eligible to play for us throughout the entire season."
Despite continued warnings from the Welsh national set up that foreign-based players may be overlooked in the future, 25-year-old Roberts, who has made 81 appearances for the Blues, is set join Test team-mates Gethin Jenkins, Mike Phillips, James Hook, Lee Byrne and Luke Charteris in the Top 14.
Roberts is a product of the Blues Academy and represented the region at age grade level before stepping up to play for Cardiff RFC in 2005-06, scoring and impressive five tries in 11 games. A medical student at Cardiff University, Roberts will sit his final exams during the 2013 Six Nations tournament.
"We have invested a lot of time, money and effort developing Jamie as a rugby player from an early age after identifying him as a star of the future, " added Cardiff Blues Chairman Peter Thomas.
"We have stuck by him through thick and thin and supported him during last season when he only completed two matches for the Blues because of his knee injury and international duties, playing 15 matches for Wales.
"It is impossible for the Welsh regions to compete with the kind of money that is on offer from other clubs in other countries.
"The time has come that the Welsh benefactors should not be responsible for funding the professional game.
"The chairman of the regions can guide companies but if we want to keep Jamie Roberts and other international players in Wales then the governing body has to intervene.
"The player drain out of Wales, which has a negative impact on the Welsh regions and the national team, will only continue without increased funding from the governing body.
"As an example with our recent game against Leinster, the IRFU pay for fourteen of their players and additionally fund the province for the remaining players in excess of 4 million euros. Compared to the cost of the Cardiff Blues squad that's almost double.
"You'll never win the Heineken Cup with that margin to compete with.
"The governing body has to take far more responsibility."
Comments
jontheref says...
jamesliveinhope
Point taken.
He has misdsed a lot hasn't he.
melkdave
No reply?
Thought so.
Posted 11:02 09th November 2012
jamesliveinhope says...
@jontheref - I was stating a fact from Wales' history with him sidelined rather than a prediction of his absence whilst in France.
I agree with you, I think that Gatland's plans to only select from the regions were in tatters before they came into force with so many players sticking two fingers up to their regional contracts.
Posted 08:56 09th November 2012
pierredelot1 says...
Welsh Rugby has to sort this out. Central contracting and following the Irish system would be a way foreward but suprise suprise they all argue, nothing new there. They only have a limited number of years at the top to make their fortune so good luck to them. If there is nothing wrong with the Welsh model why are they all moaning about it?
Posted 19:29 08th November 2012
jontheref says...
jamesliveinhope
"Wales are weakened by his absence"
by the time he is over there, the WRU will have accepted they cannot play without the French based players.
Just looked in my crystal ball!
The problem comes because the Union want the extra game each autumn, which in my mind should be a development game, when they would be without the France based players.
Have they not thought of that?
Capise?
Posted 17:10 08th November 2012
jontheref says...
melkdave
"Leinster V Ospreys match the pick of the Pro12 matches last wekend ,the attendance was way down ,on what you would expect ,ok both teams where shorn of their international stars,and the weather wasnt good ."
There you go, giving us all the reasons why it wasn't a succes, what is your point?
It was the biggest crowd this season, on top of all the reasons you give.
May not be the AP crowds, but have you any idea of the economy is the Ospreys region?
Also in the AP they are now only showing one game live per weekend, whereas there were 3 of the 4 regions on TV live last weekend.
You keep banging on the same old tripe about the pro 12, jealous of the Irish success in the H cup.
Put a sock in it dear buoy!
Posted 17:06 08th November 2012
jamesliveinhope says...
@papachinzo I think he's a phenomenon. There isn't a great deal of subtlety or finesse about his game, but knowing what is coming down your channel and being able to do anything about it are separate issues. (similar to Lomu in that regard). I remember England put a flanker on him one year.
A player like that creating space for a player like O'Driscoll would explain the success of their relationship.
Not a great player but the best at what he does, Wales are weakened by his absence.
Posted 14:15 08th November 2012
atg77 says...
Fair enough, the guy is in his mid 20's and wants to explore a bit of the world. You can't blame him. Talk of it negetively effecting the Welsh national side is rubbish. Conversely it means Wales is widening its pool of players available, as their will be a chance for a younger guy in the Blues.
Posted 14:12 08th November 2012
andyb says...
dezz, agree...papachinzo, quite honestly you are talking through your arse!
Posted 13:55 08th November 2012
Toulousain says...
no more cryotherapy camps in poland for him!!
if he gets the national call-up, from now on, he'll be released three days before the test match only. unless racing decide to write him a nice big cheque to keep him for an important T14 game instead.
Posted 13:24 08th November 2012
makemehappy says...
@papachinzo - can't work out whether you're a wind-up merchant or just don't know anything about rugby. Which is it?
Posted 13:15 08th November 2012
Mr_Right says...
Very good player but seems to be constantly injured. Did the Welsh union not offer to centrally contract players only last month but the Welsh clubs rejected the offer?
Posted 12:47 08th November 2012
melkdave says...
Well i suppose it was bound to happen,now his sat his madical exams,tbh i felt that was the only thing keeping in Wales these last few years..The welsh regions badly need a injection of cash ,theres no geting around that fact.The WRU has to step up at least in the short term imo.Of course what would help them the most is a revalent and viable Pro12 league,where they can start making profits..The time has surly come for the WRU to start pushing for league games that mean something to the fans ,to get fans back watching league matches.Leinster V Ospreys match the pick of the Pro12 matches last wekend ,the attendance was way down ,on what you would expect ,ok both teams where shorn of their international stars,and the weather wasnt good .But you would still expect a fairly decent turnout for the match.Whitch just never happened.Main reason for it imo,there was nothing riding on the match,for either team so nothing for fans to cheer for or get excited about or brave the weather.Both are guareented HC qualification, and both are going to be in the top half of the league come spring because of he strength of their respective squads.Contast this picture with the AP matches.Good attendances despite the weather,and even though top players missing,The games matters to the fans for many reasons,HC quilification,playoffs,or just to keep well infront of the relegation area.The Pro12 has to start making its game worth something to fans ,otherwise welsh clubs could go under.Main stubmbling block to seeing this happen the IRFU ,who are quite content imo,to see thier clubs the dominant force in the Pro12,with better squads and by Pro12 standards massive budgets ,as they soley concentrate on HC glory,while using the league as traing matches for up an comming players and elite
Posted 12:38 08th November 2012
andy1000 says...
"Given news of Jamie's departure, we will begin the search to find a suitable marquee player who will be eligible to play for us throughout the entire season." - that basically rules out any current test player so Cardiff fans can expect someone from the southern hemisphere as a replacement a la the Irish clubs.
Posted 12:12 08th November 2012
APV1 says...
The quote:
"Given news of Jamie's departure, we will begin the search to find a suitable marquee player who will be eligible to play for us throughout the entire season."
says it all.
They're now resigned to the fact that they can't develop their own through the academy (and get 81 + games from them before they move on) and have to look elsewhere. 81 games and the associated success seems like a fair return. He's now 25 and wants to look elsewhere.
RM is an interesting choice, but I think he'll do well where-ever he ends up.
Until the IRB bring in a universal Salary Cap, this will continue. And I don't even know if they could do that legally. So we're left with the situation where some of the best players are being paid handsomely to play in France (see the names above, add in Armitage, etc) and rule themselves out of their national squads.
Double-bubble for France - their Clubs get the best players for the whole season and the countries they have come from are weakened as a result.
Can't argue with their logic.
Posted 11:37 08th November 2012
dezz says...
@ papachinzo. I can feel the bitterness in your post. Hehe.
Posted 10:34 08th November 2012
heathy says...
I agree with Peter Thomas who has been a huge supporter of the Blues, especially financially. It's an impossible task for the Welsh clubs. You can't blame Jamie for wanting to do the best for himself while he has the chance. I know he will leave Cardiff with a very heavy heart but this is just the way it is. The Welsh clubs rely on the likes of Peter Thomas to poor millions of pounds into their clubs with no return. It will not go on for ever. The Welsh Rugby Union need to step in before it is far too late.
Posted 09:18 08th November 2012
papachinzo says...
I think he's one of the most overrated players around, He was great inside Brian O'Driscoll 4 years ago, but has done nothing major since. It seems to be a Welsh phenomenon these days, where most of their players are extremely over rated...
(eg. Warburton, Priestland, North, Jenkins)
Posted 09:15 08th November 2012
curates_egg says...
Dun, dun, dun - another one bites the dust
Posted 09:06 08th November 2012
Centre12 says...
He is still only 25, Wow!!!!!!!! Great signing for Racing!!!!!
Posted 08:28 08th November 2012
jontheref says...
Pity to lose him, but don't blame the player.
Blues nearly lost Cuthbert after their first derisery offer last season.
The guy wants to play in a winning team.
The blueprint in Ireland works for their regions, but the Welsh test team is more successful over the past 4 years. I can see the WRU saying their is nothing wrong with their model!
Central contracts would help, but I'd rather see well tested players at the top of their game playing for Wales, than someone who stays in Wales, and is not performing.
Gatlands/Howley ";aw" may be severely tested!
Posted 08:26 08th November 2012