England’s defeat of Wales at Twickenham last month not only damaged their rivals’ pride, it also robbed star fullback Leigh Halfpenny of the chance to say a proper goodbye to the club that launched his stellar career.
Halfpenny suffered a dislocated shoulder during the game while tackling Luther Burrell, which ended his season. By the time he is fit he will have begun a new chapter in his already storied career with big-spending Top 14 outfit Toulon, meaning he has played his last game for the Cardiff Blues.
Halfpenny first appeared for the Welsh region as a raw 19-year-old and admits it will be strange saying goodbye to the club.
“I’m extremely disappointed that I’ve played my last game for the Cardiff Blues,” he told Sport360° while attending a fundraising event in Dubai for Ty Hafan, Kidney Wales and the Bill McLaren Foundation.
“I’ve been there for seven years and they’ve been a great club for me and gave me my opportunity. It will be sad to say goodbye to the players, all the staff and the fans who have supported me throughout my whole career there.
“They played their last home game [of the season] at the Arms Park last weekend against Ulster and it was quite tough to watch, it being my last game at a stadium which has been a place that I’ve got a lot of memories of. It will be a club that remains close to my heart.”
While Halfpenny clearly adores the Blues, who gave him a chance when others thought him too small, he is also relishing the opportunity that awaits him in France.
“I took a lot of time making the decision and it’s the decision I felt was right for me at this moment in time in my career,” explained the full-back, who consulted France-based Wales colleagues before making the move. “I thought I needed a new challenge in rugby and the move to Toulon gives me that.
“I know it’s going to be a huge change in lifestyle, in culture. Obviously there’s the language which I’m currently learning, and I’m looking forward to being fluent in, whenever that time comes.”
The Welshman’s move to southern France caps a remarkable two years. Halfpenny’s career has been on the rise since he made his Blues debut in May 2008 – hinting at what was to come with three conversions. But it is in the last 24 months or so that the full-back has emerged as arguably the world’s deadliest place-kicker.
Of his 395 Test points for Wales, 320 have come since the start of 2012. That, in part, was what attracted the Top 14 side to the British and Irish Lions player of the series, as they look to find a replacement for the trusty boot of Jonny Wilkinson.
The World Cup-winning fly-half is yet to confirm whether he will play on at Toulon next season. But with his 35th birthday only six weeks away, it seems only a matter of time before Halfpenny assumes kicking duties at the Stade Mayol.
“They’re huge boots to fill. Having been over there and played against them, Jonny Wilkinson has been a huge part of the team,” Halfpenny says. “He was my role model growing up, which makes it very surreal. Obviously it’s the coach’s decision on who takes the place kicks but there’s a chance I will doing that and it seems really surreal.
“I’m extremely excited about meeting up with the whole squad. I know a lot of the guys having played with them for the Barbarians and I’ve played against many of them on the international stage. So it’s really exciting.”
While not necessarily surreal, this year’s Six Nations marked a departure from recent tournaments as Wales were denied a record third-straight title as they suffered sizeable defeats against Ireland and England.
“We didn’t perform to the standards that we set ourselves and the expectation we put on ourselves,” Halfpenny, third on the list of all-time points scorers for Wales, admitted.
“We didn’t do that, in particular against England, which was hugely disappointing. It was a mixed bag really this campaign, there were some excellent performances, particularly against France, and at the end against Scotland, which I wasn’t part of.
“With a big year ahead with the World Cup just around the corner it’s very important that we learn from this experience in the Six Nations.”
What lessons did the squad learn – is criticism of the style of rugby at times under Warren Gatland fair? “I don’t believe there is no ‘Plan B’,” said the 25-year-old
“We have our game plan and we have our structures and systems but within that we are allowed to express ourselves. In two games we just didn’t perform to the standards that we set ourselves and expect from ourselves.”
Wales will take on England as well as Australia in Pool A of next year’s World Cup, which will be played in some part on home soil. Defeat to the Red Rose was therefore untimely, while Gatland’s side have lost the last nine meetings with the Wallabies – their most recent victory coming just three weeks after Halfpenny made his international debut in the Autumn of 2008.
Not that he’s too worried. “A lot can change in a year of rugby,” he explains. “It’s important [that] the preparation we have leading to the World Cup we get right, but ultimately, the World Cup is the big pull and we have to be peaking at that stage.
“We’ll be aiming to win all four games in the Autumn series and a title in the Six Nations. If we can do that, it bodes well for the World Cup.”
Halfpenny on…
Kicking practice
I spend a lot of time on it. I started goal kicking when I was 12 years old. My dream as a kid was always to kick for Wales, and to be doing that is a dream come true for me.
What goes through his mind when he’s lining up a kick at goal
I’m aware of what’s at stake and every kick is huge, especially in international rugby because games can be won or lost by small margins and sometimes a kick is the deciding factor. I’m aware of how important it is, and my heart’s racing, but at the same time I have to remain composed. To do that I just imagine myself back in my hometown where I grew up as a kid kicking. I imagine I’m there, and that allows me to just cut out all the pressure and focus on the kick.
