Rhys Carre has spoken for the first time about his decision to leave Cardiff and give up his Wales career
After being cut from the World Cup training camp, Wales international Rhys Carre announced that he was quitting Welsh rugby and giving up on his Test career due to Warren Gatland’s diminishing chances for him.
Carre acknowledges he doesn’t fully understand why his results at the regional level have increased even while he feels his prospects of playing internationally have decreased.
The prop joins Saracens this summer, a year after being publicly cut from Gatland’s World Cup training camp for Not meeting “performance targets” that comprised a weight target. Following a public announcement of his dismissal from the squad, Carre has not been seen since. Gatland says the 26-year-old wasn’t even given a chance to play in the 2024 Six Nations.
Before making his final appearance at Arms Park against Edinburgh on Saturday, Carre spoke to the Cardiff Rugby matchday program. “I pulled Jockey [Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt] to one side and told him the news first individually,” Carre said. I informed him that the decision to leave Cardiff was not as crucial as everything that had transpired. When the decision was made, Wales’ viewpoint was given more weight than Cardiff’s.
“I believe that, as a club player, I’ve improved every year. I simply believe that, when viewed from a global standpoint, I have probably regressed. My performance for my club has improved, but from an international perspective, I’ve received less attention. I’m not sure how or why exactly. As a player, all you can do is perform well for your team. Some people are simply not chosen. For whatever reason, some folks are just not a coach’s cup of tea. There isn’t anything you can do if you are performing well but are still not selected.
“Some things aren’t meant to be. It just felt like now was the right time and the opportunity came up to go back to Saracens. I was there before and really enjoyed it. It’s an amazing club. I think it’s a chance for me to go away and get out of the environment. I’ve sort of stalled since the 2019 World Cup. I haven’t really gone anywhere.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s done with Test rugby altogether.
Budge Pountney, who was born in Southampton, previously earned 31 caps for Scotland thanks to a grandmother who was born in the Channel Islands. Carre would theoretically meet the requirements for all other home countries in a same way.
Carre’s final Wales cap came against England in February of last year, which meant he wouldn’t be able to play for another nation until February of 2026.
