Posted by When it comes to looking back on Cardiff Rugby’s 2025 it’s impossible not to focus on the almost constant level of uncertainty that has hung over the club and Welsh rugby in general.
While the first three months of the year largely passed by without incident, it was from April onwards that circumstances quickly spiralled out of control. Administration, WRU ownership, the threat of cut clubs, consultation, confirmation of a cut club and, finally, rumours of mergers. It’s been a bingo card of chaos.
The spark that started this bin fire came from the Arms Park when news became public that there was some serious cash flow issues. To be explicit, Neal Griffith and Phil Kempe acting as Helford Capital were outed as bullshitters after 18 months of broken promises over the producing of the funds they were contractually obliged to invest as part of the 2023 Professional Rugby Agreement.
Cardiff’s Board were left with no choice but to call in the administrators in order to remove them from control and the Welsh Rugby Union stepped in to purchase the club as part of a pre-packaged deal.
What followed were a number of collapsing dominos; first the Scarlets and Ospreys refused to sign the new 2025 Professional Rugby Agreement, then the WRU announced they were considering a restructure of the professional game before launching a consultation process, and ultimately confirming they were looking at a three-team model moving forward.
That’s where things pick back up from a Cardiff-centric perspective. It became very clear that the Union saw the easiest route to cutting a team as Ospreys majority owners Y11 Sport & Media taking the Blue & Blacks back into private ownership and either merging the two clubs or the Ospreys ceasing to exist in favour of the capital club.
Fortunately, as 2025 came to a close, the rumour mill was a lot more positive in terms of a consortium led by former director Martyn Ryan – and including some big time Hollywood producers – being the front runner of two remaining bids to purchase the business from the WRU.
Yet remarkably, despite all the off-field shenanigans, on-the-field Cardiff continued to make forward progress.
The second half of the 2024/25 season saw the Blue & Blacks push hard for a spot in the United Rugby Championship play-offs. The wins over Lions, Ospreys and Munster were some of the best performances, and in the case of the first and third, atmospheres at the Arms Park that we have seen for many years. Particularly that week of bonus point wins will live long in the memory.
Unfortunately a two-week trip to South Africa at the culmination of the campaign was a step too far, but the improvements continued into 2025/26 with seven wins coming in the 10 games of the season across all competitions up to the turn of the year.
While the additions of Javan Sebastian, George Nott, Taine Basham and Ioan Lloyd have undoubtedly added to the squad, it is the continued development of Danny Southworth, Evan Lloyd, Teddy Williams, Alex Mann and Cam Winnett that have really taken the side forwards, alongside the discovery of the next set of young talent in Rhys Barratt, Steff Emanuel and Tom Bowen.
And, of course, the on-field action was not immune to disruption either as Matt Sherratt departed as Head Coach on the eve of the new season after taking an opportunity as Wales Attack Coach. A blow, undoubtedly, but he left with the best wishes of the club and with circumstances within the rugby department at the Arms Park much healthier than they were when he stepped into the top job.
With 2025 done the focus now moves to what lies in store during 2026. It is a year that could well define Cardiff Rugby’s future as a rugby club and as a business.
There’s the sale of the club back to private ownership, and the lingering threat of Y11 take over. Even if Ryan & co win out there’s the hurdle of the WRU attempting to run the professional game by stealth through a range of measures in a new Professional Rugby Agreement governing control of the rugby side of each of the remaining teams.
Is surviving as a private entity but completely handcuffed to the Union really surviving? That could be beyond the next 12 months though should a tender process take place followed by any sort of legal battle from the at-risk sides in the west.
Until that time though the focus remains on rugby matters. Cardiff enter the year in the top 4 of the URC and with qualification for the European Challenge Cup knockout stages in our hands. Some huge results across the middle and end of January, followed by a strong run-in to the season could see Corniel Van Zyl lead his side to the play-offs and into the 2026/27 Champions Cup.
2026 also marks 150 years of Cardiff Rugby Club, with plenty planned to celebrate the milestone. Hopefully that honouring of the Blue & Blacks’ history is matched by the protecting of its future and come January 2027 this piece is excited about a bright new future.
I won’t hold my breath though.
Cardiff Rugby Life 