Welsh rugby's ins and outs for 2024-25 season
Callum Sheedy hopes to push his case for a Wales recall after joining Cardiff from Bristol
- Published
Welsh rugby has endured another difficult summer as the regions weigh up the latest round of budget cuts.
Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets have seen the salary cap fall further, from £5.2m to £4.5m for this season.
The reduction is part of the six-year funding framework agreed with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) last year.
And it means the regions have seen more comings and goings as they scrambled to piece together squads capable of improving their positions in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
BBC Sport Wales has been rounding-up all the news and gossip surrounding players' futures over the off-season.
Cardiff
Aled Davies has spent the last five seasons at Saracens
In: Cardiff-born Wales fly-half Callum Sheedy is returning to Wales following a decade at Bristol - where he became their top Premiership points scorer - to offer some respite for Tinus de Beer, who has played in every game this season.
Sheedy is followed from Ashton Gate by flanker Dan Thomas, who spent seven seasons with the Bears.
Ireland prop Ed Byrne will join from Leinster, where he won five league titles and the European Champions Cup, and is joined by another loose-head prop, Danny Southworth from Exeter Chiefs.
Cardiff have also signed two new wings with ex-England Under-20s wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb making a permanent return, after spending three months at the Arms Park in the middle of the season, as well as Wales-qualified Iwan Stephens from Newcastle Falcons.
Centre Rory Jennings has also made the move from Falcons while lock Josh McNally has joined from Bath with Wales' ex-Scarlets and Ospreys half-back Aled Davies arriving from Saracens.
South African Johan Mulder will also add to the scrum-half competition having joined from Lions.
Former Italy lock Corniel van Zyl takes the role of forwards coach with a move from Ealing Trailfinders, where he took a short-term deal after the collapse of London Irish.
Re-signed: Mason Grady, Corey Domachowski, Liam Belcher, Keiron Assiratti, Cameron Winnett, Alex Mann, Mackenzie Martin, Evan Lloyd, Harri Millard, James Botham, Jacob Beetham, Alun Lawrence, Dafydd Hughes, Will Davies-King, Rey Lee-Lo, Gethin Jenkins (defence coach).
Out: Tomos Williams (Gloucester), Rhys Carre (Saracens), Elis Jenkins (retiring), Shane Lewis-Hughes (Dragons), Owen Lane (Valance Romans), Josh Turnbull (retiring), Richie Rees (assistant coach - Monmouth School), Ciaran Parker (retiring), Aled Summerhill, Arwel Robson (Chambery), Max Clark, Gonzalo Bertranou, Matthew Aubrey, Lopeti Timani, Willis Halaholo.
Dragons
Dan Lydiate has made nine appearances in his second stint with Dragons
In: Wales back-row Shane Lewis-Hughes moves from Cardiff while Australian Steve Cummings links up with Dai Flanagan once again.
The 32-year-old joins from French club Pau, having had previous stints in South Africa, Australia and with Flanagan at Scarlets between 2017 and 2020.
Fellow Australian, centre Harry Wilson, is also heading to Rodney Parade from NSW Waratahs and will be joined by another Super Rugby player in Solomone Funaki.
Former Wales Under-20s hooker Oli Burrows has also joined from Exeter Chiefs while fly-half Lloyd Evans has joined from Gloucester.
The 28-year-old, who can also play full-back, was born in Gloucester but is Welsh-qualified through his father Huw Evans, the former Scarlets chairman.
The Tonga back row plays as Manu Pasifika under new Dragons defence coach Filo Tiatia. Former Wales hooker Bradley Roberts and Lloyd Fairbrother has retired because of injury.
Re-signed: Rio Dyer, Aaron Wainwright, Taine Basham, Matthew Screech, Angus O'Brien, Will Reed, Ewan Rosser, Ryan Woodman, Harri Ackerman, Joe Westwood, Che Hope, Morgan Lloyd, Sam Scarfe, Oli Andrew, Leon Brown, Dmitri Arhip, Chris Coleman, Rodrigo Martinez, Luke Yendle, James Benjamin.
Out: Gonzalo Bertranou, Lloyd Fairbrother (retired), Lewis Jones, Aki Seiuli, Sean Lonsdale, Sio Tomkinson, Max Clark, Corey Baldwin, Nathan Evans, Ellis Shipp, Jack Dixon (retiring), Chris Hollis Mefin Davies (assistant coach), Luke Narraway (assistant coach).
Uncertain: There has been no signal yet of the future of British & Irish Lions flanker Dan Lydiate.
Ospreys
Kieran Hardy has won 21 caps for Wales
In: Wales scrum-half Keiran Hardy is joining from Scarlets and is followed by prop Steff Thomas who will compete for a starting place with his cousin and fellow loose-head Gareth Thomas.
Ex-England Under-20s wing Phil Cokanasiga, younger brother of England wing Joe, joins from Leicester Tigers.
Wales-qualified lock Will Greatbanks has signed from French second-tier club Soyaux Angouleme.
South African wing Daniel Kasende has signed on a permanent basis from Toyota Cheetahs after a stint in Swansea last season.
With Keelan Giles injured as the season loomed, Ospreys signed former Scarlets wing Ryan Conbeer on a short-term deal.
They have also announced this will be the last season in charge for head coach Toby Booth before Mark Jones takes over the reins.
Re-signed: James Fender, Jack Walsh, Ethan Lewis, Lewis Lloyd, Garyn Phillips, Luke Scully, Huw Sutton, Harri Deaves, Dan Edwards, Max Nagy, Keelan Giles, Tom Botha, Tom Florence, Cam Jones.
Out: George North (Provence), Nicky Smith (Leicester), Alex Cuthbert, Toby Fricker, Mat Protheroe, Will Hickey, Cameron Jones.
Scarlets
Vaea Fifita joined Scarlets from Wasps
In: Scarlets have bolstered their front-row by signing two international props.
Wales' World Cup tight-head Henry Thomas has joined from Castres while Scotland prop Alec Hepburn joins from Exeter Chiefs where he won the European Champions Cup in 2020 and reached six English Premiership finals in succession.
South African hooker Marnus van der Merwe, who was included in Rassie Erasmus' initial 43-man Springboks squad for the Rugby Championship, joins from Cheetahs where was part of the 2023 Currie Cup winning side.
He follows fellow South African Jarrod Taylor who joined from Stormers in February.
Welsh-qualified full-back Ellis Mee has joined from Nottingham where the 20-year-old has been combining his rugby career with studies at Nottingham Trent University.
Australian lock Max Douglas will arrive from Japanese side Yokohama Canon Eagles, while Welsh-qualified utility back Blair Murray comes in from New Zealand side Canterbury.
Australia A tight-head prop Archer Holz has also signed after previously playing for Brumbies, Waratahs and French Top 14 side La Rochelle.
Off the field, Scarlets have appointed Leigh Jones as performance director.
Re-signed: Johnny Williams, Alex Craig, Sam Lousi, Tom Rogers, Harri O'Connor, Ben Williams, Dan Davis, Vaea Fifita.
Out: Wyn Jones (Harlequins), Scott Williams, Jonathan Davies, Johnny McNicholl (Crusaders), Kieran Hardy (Ospreys), Steff Thomas (Ospreys), Dan Jones, Ryan Conbeer, Ken Owens (retired), Samson Lee (retired), Iwan Shenton, Eduan Swart, Joe Jones, Teddy Leatherbarrow.