Rags in rebuild mode as new competition looms

I’m sure that everyone connected with Cardiff Rugby is painfully aware of, and sick to the back teeth of talking about, the financial restrictions that Welsh rugby are dealing with and which are impacting life at the Arms Park with dramatic effect.

The impact on the first team has been widely covered with key players and fan favourites moving on, new signings at a premium and some areas of the squad, along with the coaching staff, looking a bit lean to say the least.

However, there hasn’t been much of a consideration given to the impact those financial restrictions have on the Rags, with the Indigo Welsh Premiership set to get underway in just under two weeks.

There’s a somewhat complicated/unique background to the Rags preparations for the new season from a financial perspective as we are the only side in the league directly linked to the one of the professional sides, with Cardiff Blues Limited running both the first and second XV, while there is also talk of Peter Thomas reportedly verbally committing to around £100,000 of funding for the Rags prior to his passing which is unlikely to be paid with no written evidence of any alleged commitment.

Cardiff Blues Limited shareholders Cardiff Athletic Club, who operate the Rags on a more day-to-day level on behalf of the company, have offered a loan to the company in order to boost the Rags’ coffers, but the fair bet is that would be refused with plenty of debt already on the balance sheet.

That is all then mixed with the situation in Welsh rugby as a whole, and as part of a perfect storm which sees the Cardiff Rugby Academy undergoing a player evolution of it’s own.

Over the last two seasons a large number of Academy players have been a key part of the Rags set up; Rhys Barratt, Efan Daniel, Will Davies-King, Rhys Anstey, Alex Mann, Mackenzie Martin, Gwilym Bradley, Ethan Lloyd, Ellis Bevan, Jamie Hill, Max Llewellyn, Mason Grady, Cameron Winnett and Jacob Beetham have all been regulars in the Premiership, with others I’m sure I’ve forgotten.

The vast majority of these players have either now moved on for pastures new outside of Cardiff, or are set to make the step up to the senior squad over the next six months, rapidly in some cases where the first team is short of numbers due to the financial problems.

As a result the Academy squad in 2023/24 will be a much younger one, comprising players who are going into or have just graduated from the U18 set up and perhaps are not quite ready for senior rugby yet. With fewer players dropping down for game time from the first team, it’ll be the semi-professional contingent that will form the majority of the Rags squad.

On the face of it that does put a strain on the Rags ability to compete right at the top of the Premiership again. There isn’t the money there to build a large and depth filled semi-professional squad, so going toe-to-toe with the likes of Llandovery and Newport, as well as Aberavon, Pontypridd, Pontypool and Merthyr, could be an uphill struggle.

Some may find a level of frustration over that, but the bigger picture can see Cardiff use this year to put themselves in a really strong position for 2024/25 onwards while still aiming to be pushing towards the top end of the table.

Looking through the list of new signings the Rags have made the general theme is young and unproven talent. There’s a move away from players recently released from the professional game, and towards those who have stood out for local teams at lower levels of the Welsh rugby pyramid, while retaining the majority of the semi-pro squad from last season where a level of turnover would usually be expected.

The players who are linked from the Cardiff Academy are majority 18-year-olds, with some international U20 experience but a few who could play their first 80-minute games of rugby for the Blue and Blacks this season. They’re talented but will take some time to adjust and adapt to the Premiership and senior rugby.

They will have good games and bad games, but the aim is for them to be in a position next summer where they are comfortable and confident at this level ahead of the major overhaul of Welsh domestic rugby’s top level. A new “Super League” is expected to be formed under the umbrella of the Professional Rugby Board containing somewhere between eight and ten teams.

Cardiff are assured of a spot in that new competition, and as a result aren’t as desperate for success as some teams spending heavily this season. Possibly spending money they don’t have in some circumstances. There’s a breathing space there for the Rags to evolve, build and improve before attacking that league with renewed vigour from 2024 onwards.

That’s not to say anyone wants to see the Blue and Blacks well off the pace or struggling at all this season, but if more League and Cup success doesn’t immediately follow an incredible last four years since the team become a proper 2nd XV at the Arms Park it is certainly not panic stations.