Posted by I’ve written a lot over the last five years or so about how Cardiff RFC have built up the ideal eco-system balancing the development of young players with the need to be competitive in the Indigo Welsh Premiership and Welsh Cup.
At the heart of that has been a core of experienced semi-professional players. They maintain the standards within the squad, assist the young members of the playing group with their development, and week-in, week-out ensure the Blue and Blacks are battling against the top sides in the country.
Earlier in the season I was able to take a look at how Morgan Allen had been so crucial in that regard, as the talismanic number eight earned his way into the 100 Club at the Arms Park, and now it’s the turn of another member of that Rags spine to take their place in the esteemed group as winger James Beal reaches his long-awaited century of appearances.
On a nuts and bolts level, Beal is a classic winger. A poacher who has that game understanding to hold his width and depth in order to make that last pass and finish in the corner look easy. As a former GB Universities 7s player he’s got the pace in his locker to beat the outside man or get on to kicks through with relative ease.
He’s also got a level of physicality to his game too. Looking at the final clip it’s not an easy finish away at Bridgend against a full-back in Edd Howley that we know is a more than competent defender, but that abrasiveness and nose for the line gets him on the scoresheet in impressive fashion.
Where that physicality really comes into it’s own though is when Beal works off his wing into midfield, picking smart lines off 9 or 10 and invariably dragging the Rags up the field when the attack gets bogged down in phase play.
It’s that reading of the game and communication from the wing that is a major part of why Beal has been so important to this Cardiff team across the last eight years, and it’s no surprise that so many young players have stepped up to the next level after playing alongside him.
The 30-year-old has talked the likes of Jacob Beetham, Cameron Winnett, Mason Grady, Max Llewellyn and Theo Cabango through plenty of games in their formative years at senior level, both in the back three and at outside centre, and you can see that influence rubbing off on them as they progress in their careers.
Particularly from a defensive standpoint, Beal’s reading of the game rarely sees him caught out of position, while that physicality returns in his tackling technique to regularly put an end to promising opposition attacks.
The decision making on when to blitz inside, when to drift to the wing and the selection of tackle technique is more often than not spot on, and puts him right up there as one of the best defensive wingers in the Premiership.
Above and beyond what Beal offers on the pitch though, is the example he has set off the pitch for everyone at the club.
In March 2018 he suffered a serious foot injury against Aberavon that would effectively cause him to miss 18 months of rugby, barring one brief appearance against Pontypridd in April 2019. Returning for the start of the 2019/20 campaign he played 13 games before the pandemic led to another spell of 18 months without rugby.
To come back from that at a level arguably even higher than he was before, becoming almost ever-present in 2022/23 as we won the Welsh Cup and topped the Premiership, is a testament to his work ethic and perseverance. A real role model for the young players to look up to in terms of how to carry yourself professionally, even when not a professional rugby player.
It’ll be on the back of his own hard work, as much as anything, when James Beal leads Cardiff out at Carmarthen to mark his 100th appearance for the club, cementing himself among the greats to have played for this club.
Cardiff Rugby Life 