**Love was in the air on social media yesterday as fans and players paid tribute to Nick Williams after the gargantuan Cardiff Blues No.8 confirmed his retirement from the game.** And what better way to start today’s Media Watch than with the talismanic back-rower, who is nothing short of a Guinness PRO14 icon after a 16-year professional career. Williams hangs his boots up following four season at Arms Park, making 77 appearances for the Blues and scoring 13 tries to earn [cult hero status for the Welsh region](https://www.planetrugby.com/cardiff-blues-nick-williams-announces-retirement/). He also enjoyed spells at Munster and Ulster in the Championship, racking up 167 Guinness PRO14 appearances and 38 tries in total - more than any other forward in the competition. He said: “I have been blessed to play this game for so long and could never have imagined I would be a professional for 16 years and travel to so many brilliant places around the world.” Staying in Wales, Dean Ryan has revealed he is less than impressed with the other Welsh regions after [questions were raised about the club’s high-profile recruitment drive](http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/dean-ryan-takes-swipe-rival-18721006). Dragons have signed Wales internationals Jamie Roberts (from Stormers), Nick Tompkins (Saracens) and Jonah Holmes (Leicester Tigers) to significantly boost their prospects. Speaking about their recent signing spree, Ryan said: “We’re always interested when people are talking about the Dragons and where their motives might lie. “We’ve just been pretty effective, we have been smarter in the market, we have had conversations with people and a lot of what we are doing is resonating with them.”
