Posted by Last week I posted the 2025/26 Cardiff squad, as things stand, across socials and looking over it there’s a lot to be excited about.
Danny Southworth, Ed Byrne, Corey Domachowski battling it out at loosehead, the impact of new signings Javan Sebastian and Sam Wainwright at tighthead, adding Taine Basham to the already quality back row stocks, and how Ioan Lloyd slots in to the back line.
Mix in the further development of young players like Rhys Barratt, Evan Lloyd, Teddy Williams, Alex Mann and Cam Winnett, who have another year of experience under their belts and 12 more months of progression ahead of them, and there’s plenty to like for the Blue & Blacks heading into what is hopefully another year of improvement.
That’s not to say there aren’t a few gaps in the squad though; one injury at hooker will leave us without cover, as with every year Cardiff could probably do with another lock, and fly-half isn’t too deep either with the likes of Ioan Lloyd and Ben Thomas possibly required to fill in elsewhere.
My biggest concern at the moment though is around the outside centre and right wing area where Matt Sherratt is light on options to pick the style of back line that he feels complements his attacking game the best, and questions remain around what is the best role for certain individuals both short and medium term.
What we’ve seen from Jockey, as he explained on the Cardiff Central Podcast when he joined us last summer, is a second playmaker/triple threat option at 12, a strike runner at 13, a bigger, more physical winger off the right wing and a smaller finisher over on the left.
Looking through the players at his disposal for those outside centre and right wing slots there are;
13: Mason Grady, Harri Millard, Elijah Evans, Osian Darwin-Lewis
14: Josh Adams, Mason Grady, Elijah Evans
A few things to pick up here. Firstly, what is the plan for Mason Grady? There’s no reason he can’t be the first choice 13 going into the season, although that may require some patience as he continues to learn the intricacies of the position, while he can be the physical right winger option but has been lethal when selected on the left wing.
That wing choice then extends to Josh Adams too who has been doing that grafter right winger role for Cardiff over the majority of the last two seasons but, as we saw when he was at his world class best a few years ago, and flashes of it again in Japan, he’s still a serious threat when given the ball in space on the left wing.
There’s a question around whether Harri Millard is a genuine option as a 13 or primarily a left winger who can cover at outside centre if needed. As things stand it would appear he’s second on the depth chart in midfield, having played well there in key wins over Ospreys and Munster during the back end of last season, but whether that can be maintained is the great unknown.
And then what of the youngsters? Elijah Evans was a standout player for the Rags at outside centre last year in Super Rygbi Cymru and then looked comfortable coming off the right wing for Cymru D20, he is certainly in line to step up to the first team, while Osian Darwin-Lewis has been listed as another talented young 13 although will still be spending the majority of his time in the SRC and has one more year of 20s eligibility.
So the million dollar question is, what is the answer? Well, in an ideal world the answer would be to sign a non-Welsh qualified physical strike runner comfortable at 13 or on the right wing. Unfortunately we do not live in an ideal world where those players grow on trees and, even if they are available, where Cardiff can simply go out and sign one.
Instead Jockey will have to make do with what he has, and the key may well be some players not listed above.
Mason Grady starts the season as the first choice 13 with Harri Millard getting things underway as his back up. Josh Adams continues to slot in on the right wing, with Elijah Evans as his back up. Then as the campaign wears on Evans begins his slide inside to get exposure at outside centre when its available, and this is where some imagination is required.
Ideally coming in to get some minutes in that right wing role would be Jacob Beetham; big, physical, quick, good in the air, line breaking capability, playmaking background with ball-in-hand. However, Sherratt seems intent on sticking with him at full-back. In his place it’s Matty Young who could well benefit from making the step up from the Rags.
Not quite as physical but still just over six foot tall and filling out, a devastating change of pace and ability to break a tackle, good in the air, solid footballing skills, decent passing range and strong defensively, there’s no reason he couldn’t do a job on the wing as a way of getting his first senior professional minutes and plugging a gap in the Cardiff squad.
While none of the above is what might be considered a flawless solution it does tick the boxes of where the Blue & Blacks continue to be when operating within the circus of Welsh rugby. It keeps us under a tight salary cap, it maintains the ability to play exciting attacking rugby, and it continues to promote and develop talented academy graduates.
Of course it could all be blown out of the water by even one injury that may well force Jockey and Darren Allinson to look at the recruitment options for some short-term cover, but until that time comes it will be interesting to see exactly what the plans are for Cardiff’s back line.
If there’s one thing we know about Matt Sherratt by now it’s that he usually has a trick up his sleeve.
Cardiff Rugby Life 