Posted by When comparing the progress that Cardiff Rugby have made from last season to this, there’s perhaps a school of thought that the Blue & Blacks have not kicked on as much as hoped.
From a purely performance point-of-view it could be remembered that Jockey’s men were playing better stuff during the 2023/24 campaign, particularly at this point of the year where we beat Stormers, pushed Scarlets close with 14-men, had a right ding-dong with Bath at the Arms Park and then swept past Dragons on Boxing Day.
However, there might be an element of the Mandela Effect about that as, while the rugby was exciting, wins were hard to come by. Prior to the Stormers win we had drawn at Zebre and lost at home to the Bulls in fairly disappointing fashion, and after the Dragons win we wouldn’t taste victory again in any competition until May.
Instead what we’re seeing this season from Cardiff is progression in terms of how to win games. At this point last season we had a combined 17 points across the league and Europe, with two victories under our belt. Fast-forward 12 months and we have 27 points under our belt, with five wins in the bag and good opportunities to add to that across the remaining fixtures in this block.
Saturday night perhaps embodied that change as much as any game so far this campaign. A game where, in parts, the Blue & Blacks were flowing and clinical. Smartly moving the ball from the point of contact to beat the Cheetahs’ intense line speed, getting possession to the wider channels where debutant Tom Bowen was electric at 18-years-old, and pouncing on any line breaks with ruthless efficiency.
However, Jockey’s men were also resilient when required, particularly throughout that first half. Playing into the wind there was a struggle to exit our own territory, yet the South African opposition were repelled time-and-time again leaving them with only a three-point advantage at the break.
And then once the game was effectively sewn up there was some smart game management, as evidenced by Callum Sheedy ripping possession away from the Cheetahs with just a few minutes remaining, flicking the ball back to Cam Winnett and the young full-back, praised for his counter attacking flair last season, wisely choose to kick deep into the opposition 22.
It may not be the x-factor, all-action, running rugby of last season, but it retains some elements of that while putting Cardiff in a position to win games where we may have let them slip through our grasp just 12 months ago.
Beyond that, and focusing on Saturday evening at the Arms Park, there were encouraging signs for the remainder of the aforementioned fixture block beyond the exposure of Bowen following hot on the heels of Steffan Emanuel’s debut last week in Lyon.
Liam Belcher’s return to fitness was timely for his form, which did not seem to have dipped from the 15 months prior to the injury, his leadership, as he fitted seamlessly back in as captain, and for the simple fact that it restores depth to a hooker corps that only included Evan Lloyd and Dafydd Hughes as contracted members of the senior squad for a number of games.
Meanwhile Taulupe Faletau also took the field for the first time post-injury, this time after eight months on the sidelines, but played in exactly the way that a Rolls Royce of a player should do. Carrying well from the back of the scrum, offloading when 99% of players would go to ground, dictating the tempo of attacks from the base of rucks by himself. In a tweak to the phrase, fitness is temporary, class is permanent.
With Josh Adams now looking like the top quality winger he is and back up to 100% sharpness, having not been hugely involved in the game but coming away with two tries, Keiron Assiratti, James Botham and Ben Thomas returning to the fray having been rested last week, and Ellis Bevan and Evan Lloyd enjoying their time off this week, the squad is in relatively good shape heading into the festive period.
It’s all looking pretty positive at the Arms Park currently, now it’s time to back that up with a successful Welsh derby series.
#TrustTheProcess
Cardiff Rugby Life 