Ex Wales captain Dan Biggar announces shock retirement
Wales flyhalf Dan Biggar has announced that he will retire from international rugby after Wales’ World Cup campaign.
The 33-year-old has said that he will be announcing his retirement in his column for the Mail on Sunday, but he will feature for Warren Gatland’s side at the upcoming World Cup.
Wales are in a pool with Australia, Georgia, Fiji and Portugal and face a tough ask to get out of their group, particularly after Fiji’s historic win against England at Twickenham on Saturday. This differs from the likes of Alun Wyn Jones and Rhys Webb who retired before Wales’ World Cup preparation got started.
Biggar will focus on his club Toulon once the World Cup is over, where he will play alongside Jones, who joined the French outfit this summer from the Ospreys.
Wales get their World Cup campaign started against Fiji on September 10.
This was Biggar’s message on X, shared by The Daily Mail rugby correspondent Nik Simon:
🏴 DAN BIGGAR ANNOUNCEMENT 🏴
The Wales No10 is retiring from international rugby after the World Cup and he explains why exclusively in his Mail on Sunday column.
Keep an eye on the @MailSport channels for some heartfelt words from a legend of the sport. pic.twitter.com/EDd5OJNt9s
— Nik Simon (@Nik_Simon88) August 26, 2023
The former Northampton Saints No10 made Wales’ World Cup squad earlier this week.
After naming the squad, Gatland said: “The toughest part of the job is always selection and this is particularly the case when it comes to picking a Rugby World Cup squad.
“Over the past three months the whole group of 48 players in the wider training squad has been outstanding in terms of attitude and effort, so having to reduce the squad down to the final 33 has been really hard and there have been some close final decisions in the last 36 hours.
“But we can only take 33 players and those we have selected we think offer a good combination in terms of talent and experience.”
