Bradley Roberts: From Durban to Wales via the All Ireland League

Brad Roberts will leave Ulster at the end of the season for Dragons

Brad Roberts has had quite the journey into the professional game.

The Wales and Ulster hooker grew up in South Africa with dreams of playing professionally for the Sharks in his home town of Durban.

Unsurprisingly at that stage the All-Ireland League, some 6,000 miles away from home, was not on the radar.

"After school the goal is get a development or academy contract with one of the provinces, but that never worked out so I looked overseas," Roberts recalls.

Through his Welsh grandparents Roberts had access to the club game in the northern hemisphere, and so at 19 he packed his bags and made the move to Colwyn Bay, where he joined Rygbi Gogledd Cymru 1404 (RGC) halfway through the season.

"I didn't really get to play as I was on a sports visiting visa at the time and as the team was semi-pro they only had two positions allowed for foreign players," he says.

Roberts returned to South Africa during the summer holidays for some time off ahead of his first full season with RGC.

"I had every intention of going back to RGC but a couple of my friends were doing pre-season at the time for the Sharks in the U19 Currie Cup so I went along to a few training sessions.

"I ended up getting picked and starting in the team. I was then hoping to get the shot with the Sharks."

'The AIL helped me take that next step'

Despite the progress no contract materialised so Roberts went to university at Stellenbosch near Cape Town, with the intention of playing rugby socially as opposed to in pursuit of a professional career.

Meanwhile in the Northern Irish town of Magherafelt, an All Ireland League side was watching.

Rainey Old Boys Director of Rugby Brian Smyth was looking for a front row. His contact in South Africa had sent him video highlights of Roberts in action.

"Brad's video was a different level to any video we had seen before," says Smyth.

"I could trust this contact as he had sent me top players from abroad in the past. Brad was only 21 at the time and we got a brilliant few years out of him."

Roberts was picked up by Ulster after impressing for Rainey Old Boys in the AIL

The boy from Durban soon packed his bags and was off to the AIL.

"I was looking for a foot in the door. Somewhere I could go and start off fresh and try and build a name for myself," Roberts, who helped the side gain promotion to Division 2A, recalls.

"I never really had intentions of playing for Ulster when I went over but when I started playing I was watching their games and I began to think I could see myself playing for them one day.

"The AIL helped me take that next step as you play some really tough teams in tough conditions. It is a slog sometimes but a really good slog. I had some really enjoyable memories at Rainey."

"Getting consistent game time, I really started to develop my game and work on areas I wasn't so good at."

'When Wales called, I was ready to go'

His opportunity came during the 2020-21 Pro14 season when Ulster got in touch seeking injury cover. His made his senior debut against Edinburgh less than a month before his 25th birthday.

"I only started to fill out quite late on so I don't think I would have been ready to play professional rugby from 21. That's why I am grateful it happened when it did as I don't think my body would have coped," he says.

"Lots of youngsters get injured as they are trying to compete with these older guys and I didn't have that problem being pulled in as a fully grown man."

Smyth, meanwhile, was unsurprised by the transition: "He made the move look seamlessly easy as he had done all the hard yards from 2C right up to 2A. Going down to places where if you are not ready you will get a rude awakening."

An impressive string of performances saw the hooker's reputation blossom, and he was soon a regular presence in the squad.

Then came the call from Wales.

Roberts made his international debut against his native South Africa on 6 November 2021

"Once you play consistently at a professional level everyone is so good at that level you have no option but to raise your game," says Roberts, who was given the opportunity to make his international debut against his native South Africa.

"When I got called into the Wales set up, I thought I am ready to go now."

Roberts entered the Principality Stadium for his debut in front of nearly 75,00 people with nine minutes to go. Throwing to the tail of the lineout with the clock nearing the end of the game and the game in the balance.

"That lineout they stitched me up big time, but I am happy I hit it as it definitely gave the coaches some confidence in me," he laughs.

Earlier this year Roberts made his Six Nations debut against Italy. A journey that he hopes is far from its end, but one that he views with immense pride.

"I will be forever grateful to the AIL," Roberts says.

"They offered me the stepping stone to achieve what I have done in the professional game."