Welsh rugby stalwart ready for new life with English club as he speaks of 'disappointment and stress' of regional release

Garyn Smith’s story is a tale for our times in Welsh rugby. A regional stalwart with more than 100 appearances for Cardiff under his belt, he was a player his coach Dai Young wanted to hold on to.

But, in the end, there just wasn’t the money available to offer the hard-running centre a new deal, amid the cost-cutting and squad trimming that’s going on across the pro game in Wales. So, with just a month to go before the end of the season, he was told he was being released.

After some eight years with the region, he suddenly found himself out of work and facing an uncertain future at the age of 26.

Happily, Smith has managed to find a new club in Cornish Pirates, joining the English Championship club on a one-year contract. But he is well aware that many of the other 40-plus players released by the regions are not in such a fortunate position and he admits it’s far from ideal to learn your fate so late in the season.

Outlining his own experience, Smith said: “This year has been pretty crazy all round, with the trip to South Africa and the bombshell that hit us out there.

“Then, around Christmas time, I sat down and had a chat with Dai. He said they weren’t sure if they could offer me anything. He wanted to keep me and said he would try and work on me staying, but he wasn’t sure how that would work financially.

“We stayed in dialogue and kept having little chats now and again. He was clear all the way through he wanted me to stay and that he was hoping to do something. He was trying to be positive about it, without leading me on and saying he could definitely do something.

“I was still hopeful we would be able to work something out. But when it came down to it, about a month ago, he said he had tried his best, but they