Posted by It’s that time of year again as the 2023/24 season draws to a close and attention turns to the biggest blog in sports – The Cardiff Rugby Life Awards.
Back for it’s ninth edition, this year’s awards contain some of the most hotly contested ever seen, as well as some of the most obvious won in history, after a season in which victories were hard to come by for Cardiff, but individuals had brilliant campaigns.
So without further ado, into the first non-existent trophy to be handed out…
Most Improved Player
Every year I’m tempted to rename this, as it doesn’t accurately sum up the award, but for reasons of consistency it stays despite the winner being more of a breakout star or an unsung hero.
There’s been a few candidates on those fronts. Ellis Bevan has had his breakout campaign after waiting patiently behind Tomos and Lloyd Williams, and capped it off with a Cymru call-up, while Harri Millard has gone from being without a club to being an x factor player on the wing until injuries curtailed his campaign.
The winner this year though is Rory Thornton, a player who I have not always championed, it’s fair to say, but who has won the respect of a lot of Cardiff supporters with his efforts this season.
Seven Storey Rory will never be the most physical of locks, but never gives less than 100% when in Blue & Black, is a willing carrier and staffer of offensive breakdowns, has a good tackle count and, most crucially, was a major reason behind the lineout dramatically improving over the course of the season providing good ball for the backs to work off.
With Teddy Williams, Seb Davies, Ben Donnell and potentially a new lock signing incoming the game time might not always be there for the 29-year-old, but as a more experienced player he will be ready to be called on anytime and is an important cog off-the-field.
Young Player of the Year
After the squad evolution of last summer a major focus of this season for Cardiff has been exposing the next generation of player to senior rugby probably earlier than they would, and should, have been.
The results have been incredible with the likes of Alex Mann, Mackenzie Martin, Mason Grady and Theo Cabango all cementing sports in starting XVs and even going on to earn international honours despite not having more than single figures of senior professional appearances under their belts.
However, while the nominations list is long and quality-filled, the winner is a no-brainer with Cam Winnett the standout young player both for Cardiff and Cymru.
The 21-year-old still only has 26 senior games of professional rugby to his name, but plays as if he’s been around for a decade with 100 test caps won. Commanding under the high ball, solid in defence, confident in attack whether popping up wide or playmaking in midfield, he has the complete skillset needed to become one of the top full-backs in the world.
Best Performance
Now this is an interesting award as, even though wins were few and far between, when we did win they weren’t always our greatest performances. Away at Dragons we made hard work of it in tough conditions, home to Dragons has to be caveated by just how poor the opposition were, and away at Sharks we did what was needed, rather than any top quality showing.
The performance against the Stormers was a good one, but some our best 80 minutes actually came in defeat. The Champions Cup night against Bath at the Arms Park and pushing Munster at Thomond Park stand out, but my winner is the performance away at Ulster.
Going to Ravenhill on a Friday night is never easy, but the Blue & Blacks kept the crowd largely silenced by matching the Irish side’s physicality, being clinical in attack, kicking well and defending ferociously. But for a few questionable at best refereeing decisions, Cardiff return from Belfast with a hugely deserved win in the back pocket.
Essentially, we woz robbed.
Try of the Season
This one was a tough one as Cardiff have scored some cracking tries this season, and scored a real array of tries too. If you like back peels off lineouts then there’s a number of Rhys Carre options for you, if you like top finishes from a winger then Theo Cabago and Gabriel Hamer-Webb have you covered, and if you like team scores then some of our Champions Cup tries are right up your street.
I love a kick pass though, so this Theo Cabango try away at Scarlets is my Try of the Season.
A perfectly weighted kick from Cam Winnett finds Cabango in-stride and the winger does not need a second invitation when in an open field, stepping inside Ioan Nicholas and beating Johnny McNicholl for pace. A brilliant score.
Special Recognition
This season’s Special Recognition Award could have gone to a few people, but I’ve chosen to give it to a man, as well as his family, who has embodied a lot of what has been good about Cardiff and Welsh Rugby over the last few years, despite not being Cardiffian or Welsh by birth.
When Willis Halaholo arrived in November 2017 there was a sense of excitement among the supporters. Rey Lee-Lo had signed the season before and immediately established himself as a top player, so to pick up another centre from Super Rugby, a Super Rugby champion as he would become the summer prior to the move, was seen as the cherry on the cake.
Little did we know though that the hot stepping try scorer we saw on debut away at Benetton would become one of the terrace’s favourite sons across the next eight years. As a player, incredible. Footwork, power, vision, physicality. The Auckland native captivated crowds across Europe with his game-breaking ability.
Once enough time had passed it was no surprise that international honours came around, with Halaholo making immediate impacts off the bench during the 2021 Six Nations, helping Cymru take advantage of a surprising number of red cards received by opposition sides on the way to winning the Championship.
Along the way though he won favour with his open style of communication, posting regularly on social media and often seen with the famous princess squad in tow, his humility and honesty struck a chord with a supporter-base and city that is always prepared to get behind genuinely good people.
That is why there was such an outpouring of support when tough times came for Willis and the Halaholo family, with back-to-back serious achilles injuries followed by significant contract uncertainty as Welsh rugby fell into total disarray. It is in those moments that the commitment and sacrifice required of a player and their family moving across the globe becomes clear.
For the player that he is, and the man that he is, and all the family have given us at the Arms Park, in Cardiff and in Wales, the Cardiff Rugby Life Special Recognition Award goes to Willis Halaholo and the Halaholo family.
Player of the Year
We finish with the big one, and this year there’s a strong list of nominees. Tinus De Beer and Ben Thomas have been excellent at 10 & 12, Rhys Carre has been in top form as top try scorer, Tomos Williams was magnificent prior to his injury, Cam Winnett has been consistently quality in his debut season, and last year’s winner Thomas Young continued his level of performances.
However, my winner wins the non-existent trophy for both his performances and leadership in this unusual season, as Liam Belcher has stepped up as both first choice hooker and regular matchday captain to become an undeniably key member of this Cardiff squad.
It’s been a long and winding journey to this spot for the Rhondda man who, after joining the Academy and winning Cymru D20 honours, found himself released and spending a season with the Dragons in 2017/18 before coming back to the Arms Park as the Celtic Cup swung into action the next year.
As many spells involved in the first team 23 were matched by spells out of it over the next five-and-a-half years, as he battled with the likes of Kris Dacey, Matthew Rees and Kirby Myhill for the number two jersey, until he nailed down the spot in the starting XV following last season’s Six Nations. He has gone on to start 17 games in all competitions this season.
Often seen as undersized, Belcher is regularly talked about as one of the strongest members of the Cardiff squad and holds his own in the centre of the scrum. His lineout throwing is consistent and a big part of the improvement in that Blue & Black set piece, but he retains his major strengths in open play.
In attack his 119 carries spawned 50 trips across the gain line and two tries, while defensively his 174 tackles at a 92% success rate was the 10th best in the United Rugby Championship last season, and he added nine turnovers to the team’s league leading tally. A snapshot of the impact he has had on both sides of the ball.
Those efforts are also what have made him a great leader throughout the year, setting a fine example for the new and young members of the squad, giving them an idea of what it takes to play for and excel at Cardiff and this level generally.
For his perseverance, leadership and quality, Liam Belcher is 2023/24’s Cardiff Rugby Life Player of the Year.
Cardiff Rugby Life 
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