Posted by It’s fair to say that after four rounds of Super Rygbi Cymru so far, the hassle and controversy around getting the competition off the ground has seemingly been worth it.
Results-wise the action has been intense, with no side unbeaten in their opening four games, and prior to Thursday night’s televised fixture there was just 10 points separating top and eighth-place. In a league where a side can earn six points for a win, that is a gap which can be traversed quickly.
The traditional and social media coverage of the SRC has been an improvement from that seen when the Welsh Premiership operated as the elite semi-professional competition, and there is more obvious alignment between the professional clubs and the sides within their respective development pathways, with numerous Academy and young talent getting game time and exposure.
At Cardiff little has really changed in regards to that final point, with the pathway flowing fluidly from age grade sides to the Academy and through the Rags into the first team for a good few years now. Just ask Rhys Carre, Keiron Assiratti, Teddy Williams, James Botham, Ben Thomas, Max Llewellyn, Mason Grady, I could go on.
However, there was a lot of transition in terms of the playing squad within that over the summer. Last season’s shenanigans in Welsh rugby left the Blue & Blacks rapidly promoting transition players from the Rags into the first team, resulting in the few Academy players left and semi-professional core of the squad being severely over-stretched.
With things a bit calmer during the most recent off-season Gruff Rees and Dan Fish were able to properly bolster the semi-pro spine with a few experienced heads but a majority of young talent either recently out of the pro game or having graduated the BUCS Super Rugby set up.
Meanwhile the Academy stocks were bolstered handsomely with homegrown talent, some returning faces from across the Severn Bridge and the Exiles system. Around 16 players currently sit in the Senior Academy squad, with the majority available to the Rags for Super Rygbi Cymru.
With those new faces being mostly fresh out of the U18 Regional Age Grade Championship squad the expectation from myself was that it would take them a few months to really adjust to senior rugby. After a slightly scratchy pre-season campaign I wondered whether it may even take a full season for this new group of players to adjust and get cohesive.
As usual though, the Rags have proved me wrong.
A hard-fought bonus point win away at RGC in round one, where Llandovery and Pontypool have both since been defeated, was followed by a very assured double bonus point win at home against Ebbw Vale in front of the S4C cameras to get the campaign off to a dream start.
Things came slightly unstuck in round three as Carmarthen did a job on us down west, but a superb response saw the Blue & Blacks immediately bounce back to hammer the Quins 50-0 at the Arms Park despite going down to 14-men during the first half. A simply remarkable level of dominance after the red card to score 29 points and keep a clean sheet.
That performance just underlined how impressive the young players have been so far, with the likes of Gavin Parry, Charlie Manship, Steff Emanuel, Tom Bowen, Matty Young, Evan Rees, Sion Davies and Osian Darwin-Lewis all playing their part in shaking off the defeat at Carmarthen Park and putting things right a week later despite still being in their teens.
As new club captain Sean Moore, along with the likes of Craig Hudd and Jason Harries, step up as leaders following the departure of some key men last season it is a promising sign that the Rags are still very keen for on-field success to go alongside the development brief, hopefully producing talented players that now how to win ready to step up into the first team.
With a trip to winless Swansea this weekend, followed by back-to-back home games against Aberavon and Bridgend prior to the November break, Fishy will no doubt be eyeing up three wins to take some momentum into the festive block.
Uppa Rags!
Cardiff Rugby Life 