Educated at Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf, Roberts is a product of the Blues Academy and represented the region at age grade level before stepping up to play for Cardiff in 2005-06, scoring an impressive five tries in 11 games.
He made his competitive senior Blues debut on the wing in the 17-15 win over the Ospreys in August 2007 and has gone on to make 81 appearances for the region during his six seasons with the senior team, scoring 17 tries.
Roberts formed a formidable partnership with New Zealander Casey Laulala in the 65 games that the former All Black played for the Blues during his three years in the Welsh capital.
During his first year of senior rugby Roberts made his Wales debut on the wing against Scotland at the start of the 2008 Grand Slam season, going on to win 44 caps.
He was named as the British & Irish Lions Player of the Series on the 2009 tour of South Africa, where he partnered Brian O’Driscoll in the Lions midfield in the first two Tests.
He played two full games for the Blues during the 2011/12 season and played 15 games for Wales before a knee injury forced him out of action for six months before retuning to action against the Dragons in September.
A medical student at Cardiff University Roberts will sit his final exams during the 2013 Six Nations tournament.
Cardiff Blues Chief Executive Richard Holland said, “The offer that we made to Jamie was an extremely attractive one and would have seen him become certainly the highest paid player in the Blues squad, and arguably in the UK.
“I think there are a combination of things,” added Holland. “Obviously money is an important part but Jamie feels a change in direction for his career and that’s his decision and we respect that.
“We put an excellent offer on the table that we believed was competitive without the assistance of the Welsh Rugby Union and he decided not to accept the offer we put on the table.”
More money from the WRU to help fund keeping Roberts at Cardiff Arms Park might not have made any difference in this instance, according to Holland.
“I’m not sure in this case that an offer would have helped, but certainly dialogue continues between the four regions and the Welsh Rugby Union,” he said.
“Certainly we’re committed to those conversations and hopefully what you’ll see as a result of this is some models of schemes that will enable us to retain these international players in Wales.”
