Luke Treharne has been globe trotting since making his debut for Wales on the Gold Coast in the 2014/15 series but with the formation of a Great Britain side which includes players from England, Wales and Scotland, he was not one of the chosen few by head coach Tony Roques to secure a core contract.
As a result, and with no future prospects ahead on the playing front at international level, Treharne called time on his career, admitting it was quite a tough pill to swallow.
“It was a really tough decision to make. I’ve been involved with Wales Sevens for the last 11 years, firstly playing in Europe and then on the World Sevens Series, so it’s been a huge part of my life,” he said.
Treharne played 242 matches on the world series, scoring 666 points in the process and while Wales used the sevens programme as a development tool, Treharne was a constant as players came through the system.
“Sevens is a sport that I’ve loved playing, so I look back and feel very fortunate to have played it for so long,” he said.
“I’ve been to some incredible places in the world, experienced some amazing sporting atmospheres and met some of my best mates through sevens. I’ve played against the best players in the world and helped bring through future and current Welsh stars. It hasn’t always been easy playing sevens for Wales on and off the field, but I look back on my career with great fondness,” he said.
Luke Treharne flings the ball out for GB 7s during the Dubai 7s last year
“From my chats with Tony Roques the decision to not include me was based more around my age and going for younger players. I’ve been involved with GB 7s every time it’s been formed so I know I’m at the standard to play,” he added.
Treharne possesses a sevens CV any player would be proud of and he has a number of career highlights to look back on. Only Adam Thomas (50) stands ahead of him in tournaments played on the circcuit for Wales. Treharne finished with 47 events next to his name, but he also played for Great Britain 7s on four occasions and finished as the leading points scorer in Welsh history on the World Series with 666 points, heading off try scoring machine Luke Morgan who finished his sevens career with 655 points.
“My first full international sevens cap in Glasgow’s Commonwealth games was incredible,” he reflected. “Ibrox was absolutely jammed and the atmosphere was electric. I had loads of friends and family at the event and I managed to bag my first full senior try.
“I’d also say the first time we beat the likes of Fiji and South Africa were special and getting my 50th cap and heading the all the all-time Welsh sevens player stats is something to be proud of.
“There’s been a few low points but they are far outweighed by the high points. Probably being the travelling reserve for Rio 2016 when in the trial period I had captained the GB Royals to 3 out of 4 tournament wins and only losing one game by a drop kick. I was the top point scorer and felt I was playing really well.
“The other is probably around COVID and losing our contracts with Wales 7s. That was an extremely tough period, as it was for most people around the world.”
Treharne’s playing career with Wales on the global circuit had to be navigated simultaneously while undergoing his studies to become a doctor – no easy feat.
“It was very difficult and took a lot of hard work and time management, but I had a great amount of support from family, friends, the medical school and the sevens set up. It’s one of my proudest achievements,” he said.
Ironically, after calling it a day, he now finds himself in the spiritual home of sevens, Hong Kong.
“I’m signed for one year with a 15s club called Valley RFC and going to see how the transition goes. Alongside this I’m going to be working full time on my business called “This is 7s”.
“It started as a passion project with my brother during lockdown to provide rugby coaching and training advice/videos for any players who couldn’t attend their normal team training sessions.
“I’ve mainly grown the social media following over the last two years but now I want to step into the world of online and in person coaching amongst other things. I’m excited to be in Hong Kong and I think it will be a great place to improve the business.”
Despite his retirement from international rugby, Treharne hasn’t ruled out a return to Wales in the future.
Luke Treharne with the Wales 7s squad of 2021/22
“I’d definitely like to be involved in the game at some level. I’ve put a lot of time and effort into the programme over the years and I’d like to keep that going if I can.”
Richie Pugh, Wales Sevens head coach, paid tribute to his former captain.
“It goes without saying he’s been a phenomenal ambassador for the team and to the programme – and not just Wales Sevens but world rugby sevens,” he said.
“He epitomised what it is to play on the sevens circuit and embraced everything involved with the game – he was a specialist and someone who promotes the game off the pitch as well with his social media platforms, he lives and breathes the sport.
“What he has achieved in the game, in terms of number of years he has played, and the number of games he has played, it’s a hell of an accolade and obviously he would have wanted to have finished on different terms but who knows what Wales Sevens looks like in the future.
“I’d like to think he could still be a part of it in some form, whether it is in an advisory role, playing role or whatever.”
