Ex-Wales and Lions flanker Lydiate to retire for coaching role

Dan Lydiate won 72 caps for Wales after his debut in 2009

Dan Lydiate, who won 72 Wales caps and played three Tests for the British and Irish Lions, is to retire at the age of 37.

The flanker will play his final game on European soil as Dragons go to his former Welsh professional club, Ospreys, on Saturday, 26 April (15:00 BST), before moving into a coaching role.

Lydiate made his Wales debut in 2009 and made one start at the 2023 World Cup before a final international appearance for Wales against the Barbarians.

He also featured in the 2012 and 2019 Six Nations Grand Slams under Warren Gatland, and the 2011 and 2015 World Cup campaigns.

Lydiate was a key part of the Lions' victorious tour of Australia in 2013, starting the second and third Tests after coming off the bench in Brisbane, and leading the midweek side.

Born in Salford to a Welsh mother, Lydiate was brought up with a farming background in Llandrindod Wells, before joining what was then the Newport Gwent Dragons' academy.

His professional career could have been ended before it had barely begun when he broke his neck in a European match in Perpignan.

It was not the only time he had to overcome a major injury setback, with a serious knee injury in February 2021 appearing to signal the end of his Wales hopes, only for Lydiate to recover and help his country to a first ever win in South Africa the following year.

Renowned for his defensive chop-tackling abilities, the quietly spoken Lydiate formed part of a formidable back row for much of his international career, mostly at blind-side flanker alongside Taulupe Faletau, Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric.

He also captained his country against Italy and England in 2016 and Georgia in 2017.

At club level he moved from Dragons to Racing Metro in 2013, before returning from Paris a year later to join the Ospreys, for whom he made 90 appearances.

He returned to the Gwent region 10 years after departing, developing his farming career alongside his rugby, and will run out in a Dragons shirt for the 106th time at the Swansea.com stadium.

"I've got a lot of respect for DL, he's a man of grace and humility and he works hard," said Dragons head coach Filo Tiatia, a former playing colleague at the Ospreys.

"A British and Irish Lion, played for Wales, had a nasty injury and came through to become the man he is now.

"He's an awesome proud father, he's on the farm and he's been awesome to work with.

"We're really looking forward to seeing him going back to the Ospreys on the weekend, enjoy the moments at his old stomping ground and leave some fingerprints on his last game. Then we've got a plan for his coaching role."

Lydiate has already been helping with coaching the breakdown area for the Dragons.

"I can't speak highly enough of Dan, he's a great professional and more importantly a great person, someone whom I've grown close to over the last two years," said club captain Angus O'Brien.

"He's great in the environment, he's got a wealth of experience and has really brought it forward for the younger boys, so it'll be amazing if he's around as a coach."

Gough pays tribute to 'quiet' Lydiate

"When he went out to Perpignan and broke his neck, it looked like a career-ender as a young lad so to see him come back from that and work his way up, his performances under Gatland and with the Lions were absolutely unbelievable," said former Wales team-mate Ian Gough.

"He's quite quiet, he lets his rugby do the talking but he's a genuine fellow and it's great to see him have that career after that horrific injury. He had another bite in 2021 when it looked like his career had stalled, and had a knee injury within the first quarter of the game, but it's the mark of a bloke to come back again.

"Every other week he'd get stitches, he was absolutely where the explosives were going off. He came through against adversity when he was written off so many times, dusted himself back down and put in huge performances."