Posted by Cardiff fell to defeat at the hands of Pontypridd in the first pre-season friendly of the 2024/25 campaign, but it’s not quite panic stations yet for the Blue and Blacks.
The Rags will be acutely aware that Ponty were on to their fourth clash of the pre-season campaign at Sardis Road, that it was the first run out under new Head Coach Dan Fish and his coaching team, and that there is plenty of quality to come in with the summer’s Cymru D20 contingent not yet ready to play, Josh Thomas with the first team and club captain Sean Moore unavailable.
As a result Cardiff fielded a side with some very young members of the Junior Academy involved, and some permit players coming in for the coaching staff to take a look at before Super Rygbi Cymru gets underway.
Not to take away from Pontypridd, who as we discussed with their player/coach Garyn Smith on the Cardiff Central Podcast have built a very good squad for the Premiership, but from a purely Rags point of view there will be plenty to build on from a first run out and attempt to rebuild that core of the semi-pro squad which departed over the summer.
With the likes of Joey Tomlinson, Morgan Allen, Arron Pinches and James Beal moving on, as well as Arwel Robson who played a key role at fly-half last season, there are some big shoes to fill in Blue & Black which will take some time to adjust to.
Next week’s second and final pre-season friendly at home to Cambridge will continue that process and it may well creep into the first few rounds of the league too, but the hope will be that by the time October rolls around, with it’s three home games in four weeks culminating in the double header with the first team, there is a better element of cohesion.
If that semi-pro spine does click for Cardiff there’s a huge amount to be excited about this season. Academy-wise the likes of Cam Tyler-Grocott, Lucas De La Rua, Evan Rees, Sion Davies, Harri Wilde, Elijah Evans, Tom Bowen, Kodie Stone and Matty Young are all serious talents which the SRC is partially created to cater for.
The other element of the competition is for players in that 18-25 bracket who have dropped out or never quite made the professional level, and require a springboard into it. In that sense BUCS Super Rugby graduates Jared Williams and Benji Williams, ex-pro Academy members Charlie Manship and Gavin Parry, and former Ospreys and Newcastle fly-half Josh Thomas fit the bill, alongside existing squad members Ethan Phillips, Luke Pollock, Joe Goodchild and Dewi Cross.
With a young and talented coaching staff, as Dan Fish is joined by the returning Craig Everett, as well as Josh Turnbull and Nick Fish coming on board, it’s a set up that seems to fit the ball of Super Rygbi Cymru perfectly.
So while pre-season may start a bit slowly, and there’s a possibility that will stretch into the season, there’s no need to right the Rags off yet. This group has a very high ceiling, and their story is only just starting. I, for one, am looking forward to the ride!
Cardiff Rugby Life 