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'Part of me will always wonder what could have been': Ellis Jenkins
Former Wales captain Ellis Jenkins has said that he “will always wonder what could have been” if he had not suffered his career-threatening knee injury in 2018, after announcing his retirement on Monday.
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The 30-year-old confirmed through his club Cardiff that his season will be his last in professional rugby.
The ACL injury suffered against South Africa in 2018 was a contributing factor to this decision, as Jenkins told the Cardiff website that his “knee still requires a lot of management,” and that he is no longer able to train how he likes.
The injury in a man of the match performance against the Springboks kept Jenkins out of action for more than two years, and though he did return to captain Wales in 2021, it curtailed a career that was tipped for greatness. A return of only 15 caps is not reflective of the potential the flanker had.
Jenkins took to social media shortly after his retirement was announced, where he said that his comeback from the knee injury is something he will be proud of, but he is in the same position as much of the Welsh fandom in wondering what could have been.
It been fun 🫡 1/2 pic.twitter.com/itWRNeZpbw
— Ellis Jenkins (@EllisJenkins_) April 22, 2024
“I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to play rugby for a living for the past 13 years but I have decided that this season will be my last,” he wrote.
“To represent Cardiff Rugby from the Blues academy days until this final season has been an honour. Cardiff Arms Park is a special place with incredible supporters and a huge amount of history. My last home games on Saturday will be emotional and running out to a packed Arms Park is something I will really miss.
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“I also loved having the opportunity to represent Pontypridd RFC after growing up watching Ponty and the Celtic Warriors at Sardis Road.
“Playing for Wales is something I imagined as a kid while I practiced my goal kicking for hours and hours after training for Llanttwit Fardre. Although I never got to kick the winning penalty in a World Cup final as planned, to represent Wales was a dream come true. To do so multiple times as captain is something not many people get to do and will always be something I am extremely proud of.
“I’ve met some amazing people throughout my career who will be friends for life, and I would like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way. I’ve learned so much from so many people and you’ve made me a better player and a better person.
“A special mention goes to my parents. From driving me to academy training before school and to different sports every day after school, to travelling all over the world to watch me play for Cardiff and Wales, I can’t thank you enough.
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“Also to my wife, Sophie, thank you for always thinking I was the best player on the pitch, regardless of how I’d played, and for supporting me through the highs and lows throughout the years. Thank you especially for your support and encouragement when things weren’t going my way during rehab and I was ready to give up.
“Part of me will always wonder what could have been if I hadn’t got injured in 2018, but fighting back to play for Wales and the Principality Stadium again after over two years out is also something I look back on with pride.
“I always thought this would be a tough decision but in truth it isn’t. I guess when you know you now. I am excited to start the next chapter of my life with my young family and with the same commitment and enthusiasm that has served me well throughout my rugby career. I’m also looking forward to standing on the terraces and supporting the boys with a pint in my hand.”
Comments on RugbyPass
If he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
81 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
2 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
5 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real people. They claim free speech. Free speech for anonymous trolls/voilent thugs threatening people under false names? The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
2 Go to commentsSo if this ain’t the best Irish team ever then who exactly is? I don’t remember any other Irish team being this good & winning a series in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Yes I may rip them often for 8 X QF RWC exits & twice not even making it to the QF, but they’re a damn good team who many think can only improve, including me!
81 Go to comments