There was a familiar figure in the centre for Trebanos Athletic and he wasn’t half bad
09:51, 15 Feb 2026Updated 10:07, 15 Feb 2026
Wales legend Justin Tipuric comes out of retirement for Trebanos
Wales rugby legend Justin Tipuric came out of retirement to make his debut for boyhood club Trebanos RFC. The Former Welsh flanker played centre for the club’s Athletic XV on Friday night and blew everyone away with his ability as he scored a try and created two others in a 26-5 win over Gowerton seconds.
Tipuric quit pro rugby at the end of last season, taking on a coaching role at the Ospreys after a stellar career that saw him earn 93 Wales caps and become one of the most respected players in the game.
Footage taken by Trebanos RFC shows Tipuric making a huge impression as he set up two scores in the Vaughan Sound Challenge Cup match, including a stunning offload assist out of the back door for a team-mate to cross.
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
Gowerton players were no doubt thrilled to go up against a player of Tipuric’s stature, with the 36-year-old still capable of playing professional rugby if he wished. He did the damage from midfield, a position many thought he could have played at the highest level, such was his all round skill level.
Trebanos Athletic are the second team of Trebanos RFC who play in the WRU Championship. Shirt sponsors Liberty Home Design said: “Great to see Trebanos Athletic in their new kit sponsored by Liberty Home Design. Even better to see ex Ospreys and Wales player Justin Tipuric don the boots one more time to make his senior debut for his origin club Trebanos RFC! It made the lads’ night to play alongside the Lions Legend!”
Justin Tipuric plays for Trebanos
Tipuric was one of the most talented players of his generation, touring with the Lions three times, but he has always had a special bond with the club where it all started for him.
He has helped out with coaching there over the years and is one of a number of famous rugby sons to have emerged from the club. Robert Jones, Rhodri Jones, Arwel Thomas and Bleddyn Bowen are all Trebanos natives.
“The club helped shape me into the person I am today,” he previously told WalesOnline.
“When I was a kid I’d jump over my parents’ garden and head over the canal to the pitch. I spent most of my time growing up there, kicking a ball around or playing in the park.
“The club is the centre of Trebanos. Everything that happens here seems to go on around the club.
“It turns you into a particular type of person.
“I live just outside the village now, but my parents are still living in the same spot where we grew up.
“So I’m always back and around here.
“There’s a great community spirit here and particularly around the club.
“Anyone who’s come through will tell you the place always has a pull so you want to come back, do something or see people. It’s that type of club, where people who come here never forget it and always end up returning in some sort of way.”