Dragons' Lloyd Fairbrother confirms his immediate-effect retirement

Dragons prop Lloyd Fairbrother has confirmed his immediate-effect retirement from playing just weeks before the Welsh franchise open their new URC campaign at home to Ospreys on September 21. It was January 1 this year when the 32-year-old made the last of his 172 appearances and a back injury sidelined him since then.

A statement read: “Legendary prop Lloyd Fairbrother has announced his retirement from professional rugby with immediate effect. The iconic front row – a cult figure with an army of fans at Rodney Parade – made a total of 172 appearances for Dragons, scoring five tries, over a decade of loyal service.

“Born in Cornwall but now a true Man of Gwent, Fairbrother is joint fifth in the club’s all-time appearance charts, alongside Jack Dixon, and remains the most capped prop in club history.

“Fairbrother had previous playing spells with Exeter Chiefs, Moseley, Cornish Pirates and Plymouth Albion before making the move to Newport in the summer of 2014 where he became a cornerstone of the pack at Dragons. Qualifying for Wales courtesy of his mother who was born in Blaenavon, Fairbrother proudly represented his country in a fixture with the Barbarians at Principality Stadium in November 2023.”

Fairbrother said: “Regrettably, I have had to make the decision to step away from professional rugby and focus on my health, well-being and family. This has been one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.

"But I’m stepping away as I don’t feel I can get back to being 100 per cent due to back issues and knowing that carrying on will be detrimental to my long-term health. From the bottom of my heart, I would truly like to thank everyone that has been a part of my journey.

“To all the clubs that I have represented, past and present players and staff. To all my friends, supporters, and critics. To the Dragons supporters, I deeply appreciate the support and following I have had over my career. It has meant everything to me and representing the people of Gwent has always been one of my main purposes. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you all in my corner.”

Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan added: “We are all disappointed that Lloyd is leaving us, but fully support and understand the difficult decision he has taken ahead of the new season. Lloyd has been a wonderful servant for the Dragons, and it is hard to put into words the impact that he has had.

“The Cornishman who became a true Man of Gwent, a player who truly embraced representing the Dragons. The way he played the game was reflected in the admiration that every fan held him in. He gave it everything and fans loved him for that.

“It says so much that his sole appearance for Wales was met with delight not only by fans at Dragons, but by all Welsh rugby followers. No man deserved that moment more and he can look back on his career with huge pride.”