The former Wales lock has hung up his boots for a second time
15:00, 13 May 2026Updated 16:32, 13 May 2026
Scarlets and Wales lock Jake Ball has announced his retirement(Image: Gruffydd Thomas/Huw Evans Agency)
Wales and Scarlets second-row Jake Ball has announced his retirement from the game.
The 34-year-old initially retired from rugby in November 2024 but made a remarkable U-turn and returned to the Scarlets who he left in 2021.
Ball made a strong start to the season but injuries, combined with his business commitments, persuaded Ball that the time is right to hang up his boots.
“It feels like the right time. I’ve had a few head knocks, a couple of injuries. I think my body is telling me something, ” said Ball, who earned 50 caps for Wales.
“I am glad I came back and gave it another go at the Scarlets.
“I’ve enjoyed being back in the environment and being a professional rugby player again and to be able to retire here, at the club where it all really started for me, makes it that much more special.
“My wife Christie and kids left through Covid, they never really had a chance to say goodbye.
“My kids have loved coming here to Parc y Scarlets and watching their dad play, they are desperate to come to games and have started playing themselves.
“For them to have been able to see me play and remember that is something I will treasure.”
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Born in Ascot, but raised in Australia, Jake first arrived in west Wales in 2012 from Super Rugby side Western Force.
A relative unknown, he started out with the Llanelli RFC Welsh Premiership side before making his Scarlets debut in a Celtic League clash against Connacht in Galway.
Ball was a physical, combative, abrasive second row with a high workrate with and without the ball and he quickly became established as a key figure in the Scarlets pack, going on to make his Test debut for Wales in 2014.
He was part of the Scarlets squad that produced a memorable run of victories on the way to the Guinness Pro12 title in 2017 and featured in the final in Dublin the following year, as well as the Champions Cup semi-final in the Irish capital.
Ball has played 14 matches this season, but a hand injury has prevented him reaching the 150 appearance milestone.
“The supporters here are an awesome bunch, their passion for the team is incredible and they have been amazing to me and my family,” he said.
“One game that stands out was in the Heineken Cup game against Harlequins at The Stoop when one of the fans ran onto the field after we won and started jumping all over me!
“There have been some incredible highs, the lead-up to winning the championship in 2017, Europe the following year – that was a special time with a special group of players. I will always remember the friendships, the people who have made my time here so memorable. I can’t thank them enough.”
Ball’s focus, post-rugby, will now be on his supplement business, Veritroo.
“It has been four years in the making and It’s something I am extremely passionate about,” he adds.
“The company is going well, so I’ll be going back to Australia and running that full time. It is starting to take up a lot more of my time, it is exciting.
“Being back in Wales has allowed me to spend a lot more time with my family. I spent 10 months here on my own after Christie and the kids had flown back to Australia and then eight months in Japan when I wasn’t allowed to leave.
“Everyone has loved being back here, the boys are loving their rugby and they are big lads – who knows, if they are any good, they might be coming back!
“It is going to be sad to leave, I have spent half my life playing rugby.
“But it is exciting to see the young talent coming through and I’ll be keeping a close eye on the club’s progress.
“Scarlets gave me the opportunity, it is where it all started and I will forever be thankful to the club for that.”