Adam Hughes' retirement - In his own words

The Newport-born Dragons Academy product, made 119 appearances for the Region since his debut in 2010, scoring 22 tries and 124 points.  However, Hughes has not played since September 2017, when he played on the wing against Ulster in the Guinness PRO14 championship.

Despite a careful period of rehabilitation since then, he has been forced to retire from rugby on medical grounds.

In Hughes fortnightly column in the South Wales Argus he said;

"Most of you reading this will know of my complicated history with head injuries, but it seems that I pushed my luck as far as it would go. As a result of MRI scans on the brain and expert advice from neurologists, I had to step down and figure on what to do next. Unfortunately, as well as writing off my rugby career, it’s also put stop to any hope I had of a flying career.

"It’s going to be strange walking into Rodney Parade next season and for the first time in 12 years not have an association with the club, whether that be academy or senior squad.

"One of the proudest achievements during my career was receiving my cap for 100 starts for the Dragons (we must be the only club In the world that did starts not appearances!).

"From an over-energized kid kicking the ball around on the cabbage patch to achieving that meant an awful lot. No doubt there’s another youngster doing exactly the same on the cabbage patch this season that we will see in years to come.

"Growing up during the glory years of Newport RFC and the early successes of the Dragons I was always very frustrated that we never achieved as a rugby region what should have over the past 15 years.

"Even though it has been frustrating overall, we have had some great memorable moments as fans and players over the years.

Games such as Gloucester and Montpellier in Europe stick out especially. It’s credit to all the supporters who travelled in such large numbers and in good voice (when we gave you reason to shout) that still gives so much hope for the future.

Rugby is absolutely full of characters, from one extreme to the other, and it’s some of these that I will miss the most. I have made lifelong friends from all over the rugby globe and had the privilege of playing with and against some of the best players this game has to offer.

"Six months out inured is quickly forgotten when you return to score a match-winning try in front of your home support. It’s these reasons why you see players pushing themselves to the limits, especially when injured, to return as soon as they can.

"It’s the buzz of running out to a full stadium that just can’t be replicated in any other profession.

I won’t even start listing names of people I would like to thank for helping me during my career, as the list is embarrassingly long and the Argus would rightly start charging me for their ink.

But while I have a platform like this available to me, I would like to thank everyone as one for their support over the years. I will take away some incredible memories for the rest of my life and can leave the game with no regrets.

"Becoming a financial adviser came naturally to me, as it’s something both my parents have done, and a subject I’ve always had a big interest in so I look forward to working with Niche IFA and will continue to support the region alongside them.

I hope you all enjoy the day out at the Principality Stadium next week and I look forward to standing on the other side of the fence with you from next season onwards."

For the full story go to the South Wales Argus website, by clicking here