RUGBY: Former Wales fullback Halfpenny to retire at end of season

Leigh Halfpenny will retire from professional rugby at the end of the season, closing a career that included 101 caps for Wales and over 800 international points. The former fullback says the decision comes as he feels the time is right for him and his family.

REUTERS

May 6, 2026

FILE PHOTO: Wales' Leigh Halfpenny scores a conversion kick at the Rugby World Cup 2023 Pool C match between Wales and Portugal at Allianz Riviera in Nice, France on September 16, 2023.

Peter Cziborra/File Photo

Former Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny will retire from professional rugby at the end of the current season, the 37-year-old Cardiff player announced on Tuesday.

Halfpenny, who retired from international rugby in 2023, earned 101 caps for Wales and scored 801 points, making him the nation’s third-highest all-time scorer. He also made four Test appearances for the British and Irish Lions during his distinguished career.

“It’s always going to be difficult to walk away from a game that’s been part of my life for so long,” Halfpenny said in a video posted on social media. “But when you know, you know, and now I know the time is right for me and my family.”

Halfpenny began his professional career with Cardiff, where he made 87 appearances and scored 568 points. He later played for Toulon, Scarlets, Crusaders, and Harlequins before returning to Cardiff last year, where he also took on a kicking coach role while recovering from injury.

This season, he has played just twice for Cardiff, both appearances coming against Ulster. The club still has two regular-season matches remaining in the United Rugby Championship, along with possible playoff fixtures.

-Reporting by Trevor StynesEditing by Toby Davis/Reuters