Posted by It’s getting quite difficult to write these updates on, and reviews of, Cardiff RFC seasons because under the guidance of Director of Rugby Gruff Rees, along with new Head Coach Dan Fish and previous incumbent Steve Law, they consistently tick all the boxes required for a successful campaign.
What do we want from the Rags every year? Develop young talent, and be competitive.
What did we get in 2024/25? Well there were at least seven academy members in every Super Rygbi Cymru matchday 23, and the Blue & Blacks finished top of the league. If you tick the boxes of development and success any harder you rip through the page.
It continues a stunning run of achievement for all involved with the team; Welsh Cup triumph in 2019, Welsh Premiership title in 2022, and another Welsh Cup in 2023 as well as topping the Premiership table that year. Add in what could well have been a League & Cup double in 2020, and then finishing top of the table in 2025.
This most recent season came on the back of a tough 2023/24 campaign during which the challenges faced by the first team rubbed off on the Rags. The premature promotion of a number of senior academy players had an impact on the squad available in what was still the Welsh Premiership, while the financial uncertainty prevented the bolstering of the semi-professional squad in their place.
When the likes of experienced clubmen Joey Tomlinson, Morgan Allen and James Beal all either called it a day or headed for pastures new at the culmination of the season it seemed as if maintaining the period of competitiveness might be an issue, but in their place others have stepped up.
Alun Rees has cemented his spot as one of the best hookers in the league, Joe Goodchild and Dewi Cross have done similar as outside backs, the Hudd brothers have underlined their qualities as ridiculously good players at this level, Sean Moore has led the side admirably from lock, and the ageless Jason Harries has marshalled a young backs corps brilliantly while retaining a good level of individual play.
And after a campaign whereby hardly any academy youngsters took the field, the new crop of young Blue & Blacks have done so with aplomb. Lucas De La Rua, Sion Davies, Harri Wilde, Steff Emanuel, Osian Darwin-Lewis, Elijah Evans, Tom Bowen and Matty Young in particular have all been regulars and not looking out of place at all. In fact, many have already put themselves in first team contention.
Meanwhile the coaching staff has also had a shake-up, with Fishy coming in and dealing with both a mid-season assistant coach re-shuffle and choosing to overhaul the attacking shape during the Super Rygbi Cymru Cup window, all of which has paid off with a young and talented coaching ticket overseeing some excellent rugby across the back end of the year.
So that’s the 2024/25 season in a nutshell. Copy and paste for next year? Well, yes and no.
Yes, in the sense that there’ll still be plenty of the aforementioned Academy members looking for more game time and personal development, as well as a new crop of youngsters stepping up, and yes in terms of once again challenging throughout the season to finish top of the SRC table. No, though, in that it would be great to then have something to show for all that hard work in the form of a trophy.
It won’t be high up the agenda on off-season planning meetings necessarily, that development piece remains top priority and rightly so, but I hope that in the spirit of wanting to be competitive, fostering a winning environment and getting the young talent emerging victorious from important knockout games, that having half an eye on turning good regular seasons into silverware is at least discussed.
To do so will take a bolstering of certain positions across the semi-pro squad; tight five and half-back in particular where there was not a huge amount of depth at times across the last 10 months, and the usual adjustment of the new Academy intake to the SRC level, but both are achievable with the quality of the personnel in charge.
Whatever way you look at it though it’s another successful season for Cardiff RFC, and credit to all involved. I’d urge any Cardiff Rugby season ticket holders to make full use of your purchase and get down to some Rags games next year, if you don’t already. Entry is included in the season ticket and it’s well worth a Saturday afternoon out at the Arms Park.
Before the summer break though it’s time to get (virtually) suited and booted for the highly unanticipated Cardiff Rugby Life Rags Awards, coming Friday…
Cardiff Rugby Life 
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