Posted by With the run-in of the 2023/24 season being such a long one I had been half-thinking about the Cardiff Rugby Life Awards for a little while before getting round to writing them.
Some of the award winners effectively picked themselves, Cam Winnett as Young Player of the Year for example, but others were trickier. When it came to Player of the Year it should have been more of the latter, with the likes of Rhys Carre, Thomas Young, Tomos Williams, Tinus De Beer and Ben Thomas all having had quality campaigns.
However, for a while I’d had an idea in my mind of who my Player of the Year would be, and trying to leave aside confirmation bias on that front, there’s been nothing to convince me that Liam Belcher was undeserving of the award across the season.
Opting not to clip up every standard lineout win I don’t have multiple clips of Belcher’s lineout throwing, but his much greater game time in the United Rugby Championship during 2023/24 has coincided with an improved Cardiff lineout performance, going from an 81% lineout success rate the previous year to 85% in the 12 months just gone.
It’s not top of the league, admittedly, but it’s a definite improvement to a much more mid-table return and with Corniel van Zyl coming in as Forwards Coach for 2024/25 there is hope that the set piece will continue to take strides in the right direction.
Beyond that then Belcher offers so much around the field, as an all-court hooker and a leader in action. From a ball carrying perspective he made 119 carries, 50 of which got over the gain line, in the URC across 15 starts and one substitute appearance totalling 1020 minutes.
Now the hooker is not the most abrasive carrier, it’s fair to say, but while hole punching might not be his strength he is certainly an asset in the wider channels where the former flanker’s pace and footwork come to the fore, as do his link play skills.
The quality of his long passing in the wider channels is spot on, but particularly impressive is his work in midfield where, in the second clip, he cleverly stays alive after the initial tip pass to link the offload to width, and in the third clip the disguise on the short pass is Jarrod Evans-esque.
With Matt Sherratt keen on impressing the importance of a classic Cardiff style of rugby that relies on speed, skill and playing expansively, to have a hooker that acts as another back rower is a huge asset.
That extends to the defensive side of Belcher’s game too, where his flanker vision of the game allows him to lend an extra pair of hands to recovering loose possession and winning crucial turnovers.
Statistically it’s been a mightily impressive season for Belcher on the defensive side of the game, with his 174 tackles and nine turnovers both putting him 10th across the URC as a whole. With Cardiff’s defensive identity being heavily turnover based, it’s a major advantage to have a hooker with this skillset.
His impressive form drew calls for international honours this summer, and it’s understandable given the consistency and quality of his performances throughout 23/24. Warren Gatland is going with bigger and more physical options for now though, which is fair given the brutality of test match rugby.
Belcher will remain a key member of the Cardiff squad though as he seems odds-on favourite to be named club captain following the retirement of Josh Turnbull, applying a leadership style that is actions rather than words, but being prepared to lay down the law when required.
At 28 he’s approaching the prime of his career, and with 82 first team appearances under his belt is undoubtedly one of the more experienced players in the squad. As well as his own form, bringing on the likes of Evan Lloyd, Efan Daniel, and Tom Howe behind him will be crucial to the fortunes of the club.
For now 2023/24 was undoubtedly the season we saw the best of Liam Belcher so far.
Cardiff Rugby Life 