Road to redemption as new era begins

Although the Rugby World Cup will garner the headlines over the next few weeks, the build up to the new United Rugby Championship season continues quietly in the background.

For Cardiff Rugby it’s been a tumultuous summer to the say the least, but after some good news pieces in recent weeks the horizon is looking somewhat brighter at the Arms Park. With “significant investment” reported to be on the way it changes the outlook on the 2023/24 campaign from one of despair to one of evolution.

Rather than setting the framework for just how far the Blue and Blacks have fallen within the new Rugby Services Agreement signed with the Welsh Rugby Union and bringing budgets cuts along with limiting growth, it now provides the basis for how the club can return to the top table of European rugby, hoping that the new major shareholders have that ambition.

A key element of that is the young talent within the squad, of which there is plenty, supplemented by a core of more experienced players and a small number of new signings brought in to add some quality to the playing group in areas where Welsh rugby can struggle to produce prospects en masse.

However, there is also a fourth “category” of player, if you will – the players searching for redemption.

Take Shane Lewis-Hughes, for example. This is a man who, when rugby returned after covid first hit in 2020, was one of the most talked about prospects around. A physical yet athletic blindside flanker, a lineout asset and improving in attack, he was a key part of the Cardiff side and earned a Wales call-up for the 2020 Autumn Series where his approach to training was likened to the great Alun Wyn Jones.

Injuries stunted the 25-year-old’s progress during the 21/22 season, although he still finished as the first choice blindside, but by the time the 22/23 campaign rolled around game time was at a premium. Just one start and two substitute appearances came in the first eight matches, and all-in-all Lewis-Hughes got just 302 minutes of on-field action.

Also in the back row, Ellis Jenkins made a remarkable recovery from the horror knee injury suffered against South Africa to become a key member of the Cardiff squad in 21/22, as well as make an incredible return to the international arena adding four Wales caps to his tally.

Fast forward to 22/23 though and suddenly the 30-year-old is having to wait until December’s Challenge Cup trip to Newcastle for any game time, where he produced a man-of-the-match performance. Minutes followed over the festive period and into January, but as it would turn out his season would be over by early March.

Then on the wing Aled Summerhill enjoyed a quite remarkable scoring record between 2018 and 2021, running in 18 tries in 34 games across all competitions. The Rhondda Rocket was flying, and although the 21/22 campaign was injury interrupted, it seemed he was back in form when scoring the match winning try against Munster in the first round of the 22/23 season.

By the end of October though the game time had dried up, and the 28-year-old was restricted to just two starts and three substitute appearances for the remainder of the year, finishing with just 412 minutes played in all competitions.

Now it should be said that competition for each of their spots in the starting XV was tough; Josh Turnbull effectively locked down the six jersey as captain, Thomas Young was the Player of the Year in the seven jersey, and Owen Lane and Josh Adams were both in excellent form on the wing.

However, it’s fair to say that the amount of minutes that Lewis-Hughes, Jenkins and Summerhill played during 22/23 was much lower than many would have expected for two recent Welsh internationals and one of the most prolific try scorers of the last five years.

Looking ahead to the new season with a new-ish coaching ticket now, these three players have the opportunity to come back with a bang and resurrect their careers. The playing squad is much smaller, everyone will be called on and will need to perform in order to strive for improvement as a team and help the young players improve individually.

Alongside their personal objectives the three will have to take on leadership roles and ensure that they are at the forefront of this new era for the club as top players, but also as leaders in the changing room. Embracing that responsibility will be key for them individually to not just re-establish themselves but take themselves to the next level.

Each player still clearly has plenty to offer to Cardiff, and them coming into the new season with a chip on their shoulder is a very intriguing prospect.