Rags battling on despite inconsistency

As we sit just past the halfway point of the Indigo Group Welsh Premiership season, it seems a good time for Cardiff RFC to have enjoyed a week off and for me to reflect on the campaign so far.

Going into 2023/24 it was known that the Rags were likely to have a transition year. After around five years of relatively consistent success, resulting in two Welsh Cups and a Welsh Premiership, even though it was rudely interrupted by covid, the shifting scenery of Welsh rugby inevitably led to a change in circumstances.

With Cardiff Rugby having to dramatically tighten the financial belts and look to the Academy to bolster their senior playing squad, players who may have enjoyed a year of placement with the Premiership side were fast-tracked into senior professional rugby. Those players had previously been a major part of Steve Law’s squad at the semi-professional level.

As a result the Rags have had to bolster their semi-pro ranks to fill out the squad, doing so at a time when their budgets were being restricted too. Local Cardiff clubs were raided for dual-registration players, recent University graduates and Academy leaders were invited to stay playing at a good level, while the Academy scouting net has been cast wider to bring in talent from around South Wales who get the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of a full-time deal.

Altogether there have been 56 players involved in matchday 23s for the Blue and Blacks so far this season, ranging from lads who have been picked up from St Peters and St Josephs in the lower leagues, to Welsh international Willis Halaholo looking for game time as he made a return from injury.

With injuries, retirements and unavailability it has led to chopping and changing in the squad, and the inevitable lack of consistency in performances and results have followed. The Rags are yet to string more than two wins together, following up important wins away at Swansea and home to Aberavon with a loss away to Ebbw Vale, and pre-Christmas victories over Merthyr and Pontypridd with a defeat at RGC.

Despite that though, Steve Law’s side still sit in the top four with 14 games played, two points ahead of Pontypool and three back from Newport, although the old enemy have two games in hand. It speaks volumes to the work done by the coaches and the core of the squad to continue to pick up results and bring new faces up to speed despite the constantly changing landscape around them.

The likes of Alun Rees, Joey Tomlinson, Sean Moore, Ethan Phillips, Craig Hudd, Nathan Hudd, Sean Moore, Tom Habberfield, Harrison James, Arron Pinches, Joe Goodchild, Luke Pollock, Dewi Cross and Jacob Lloyd have all been crucial to bringing an element of continuity to the spine of the team, filling in out of position where needed, and getting the less regular players involved around them.

What that has resulted in is young props Rhys Barratt and Adam Williams getting plenty of game time, showing notable improvement, Tom Rice coming in from Bargoed and hitting the ground running, and young Academy backs Matty Young and Kodie Stone being able to slot in when available and show off their mercurial talents.

That level of chopping and changing is likely to stay relatively high through the next two-to-three months as injuries continue to take their toll, some players return to fitness, and Six Nations call-ups impact the Rags directly through the Wales U20 squad and indirectly through the strain on the senior squad.

If that core of players can stay together and performing at a good level though, there is an opportunity for Cardiff to be right in the mix for a play-off spot when April comes around. Should that be the case, then the season will be an overwhelming success in the circumstances and set the team up for another run of competing for trophies over the following five years.

It’s never totally plain sailing, but the signs are good for now.