WATCH: Why England will be relieved Wales flanker has retired
While it is never nice to see any player retire prematurely, there might well be a few England players that are glad to see Josh Navidi hang up his boots.
The Wales and Cardiff flanker was forced to retire recently at the age of 32 after failing to recover from a neck injury sustained against South Africa in July last year.
The back row was a brutal tackler, and one that was able to manhandle almost any player opposite him. A recent video shared by Andrew Forde shows the Welshman at his best. While he tormented many a team in the Six Nations, he pulled out some great performances against England in Cardiff, notably in 2019 and 2021. The English back row (containing some of the strongest carriers in the world at the time such as Billy Vunipola) was completely manhandled by Navidi and Alun Wyn Jones on both occasions as Wales came away winners.
Take a look at Navidi’s highlights:
Navidi said on the Cardiff website after retiring: “It is with great sadness but also an immense amount of pride that I am announcing my retirement from rugby.
“Although I knew this day would come eventually, I don’t think I was ever really able to prepare myself for how difficult it would be to put into words just how much of an impact the game has had on my life.
“I am enormously grateful to everyone at Cardiff Rugby. I started my career with the club in 2009, and over those 14 years, there have been so many memories made that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
“Running out on to the Arms Park field with my teammates to our incredible supporters never grew old, and for this reason the club has always held a special place in my heart.
“From winning the Challenge Cup in Bilbao in 2018, to winning against Toulon in a packed-out Arms Park, every time I put on that blue shirt it was an honour, and I’d like to thank the staff over the years, our supporters, and the boys who I got to take the field with every week for making these moments possible.
“I will certainly miss playing but I am very proud of everything I have achieved in my career, whether with Cardiff, Wales or the British and Irish Lions, and I’m now looking forward to the next chapter beyond rugby.”
