Jamie Roberts to head home to Wales as family face big decision on future

As much as he loves life in Cardiff, Jamie Roberts admits it’s going to be tough leaving Australia behind when he heads home with his family later this month. The Wales and Lions centre will be bidding farewell to his beach-side base in Manly after completing his stint with the Waratahs in Super Rugby.

It has, he says, been an “awesome chapter” in a career story that has taken in so many great locations over the years, including the likes of Paris, Bath, London, Cambridge and Cape Town. It’s also been the perfect setting for him and his Aussie fiancée Nicole Ramson as young parents, with Nicole having given birth to their second child, daughter Elodie May, in March. With son Tomos Rhys just 16 months old, the couple have their hands full, but their stay in the Sydney suburbs has been a time in their lives they will always cherish.

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“It’s been unreal. I find myself using that word all the time, because the lads all use it every day! It honestly has been an incredible five months,” says Roberts.

“We are very lucky with our set up in Manly. Nicole’s parents have a place here just off the beach. It’s an amazing lifestyle with young children. I have met so many ex-pats out here who maybe came over for a month or two and haven’t left. You are on the beach, the climate is fantastic.

“Manly is such a cool spot. You can jump on the ferry and it’s 20 minutes into the city if you want the hustle and bustle or you can escape to a nice town on a fantastic beach. I have absolutely loved it. It’s just an awesome lifestyle.

“It’s going to be difficult leaving. We are coming home a week Saturday, so we are just trying to make the most of our last