Posted by As a general rule I tend to wait for a few days post-game to write these pieces. It allows time for a re-watch, to let any dust settle, and for a clearer picture of proceedings and the context against which they sit to form.
This time it’s a bit different though. A crazy few days where the long-term ownership of Cardiff Rugby is back very much up in the air was followed by a game on Saturday evening at Parc y Scarlets which – some two hours after full-time – still beggars belief.
At 70 minutes with the Scarlets 24-7 to the good the season was as good as over. Corniel Van Zyl’s men were out of the play-offs for the first time in months and looking at needing to beat Ospreys and then one of current top two Stormers or Glasgow to stand a chance of making it to the top eight.
That would have been a struggle as the 24-7 scoreline does not accurately reflect what an abject performance Cardiff had put in up to the point. Admittedly the opening 10 minutes had been pretty bright and produced a well built move finishing in a Ben Thomas score, but from then until the final 10 minutes everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.
There were handling errors, some pretty tepid side-to-side attack, poor kicking, losing the aerial battles, some soft defence, ill-discipline and a lineout that didn’t wobble or shake, but violently capitulated to the point that the Scarlets could have run starter plays from a Blue & Black throw.
It was a minor miracle that the hosts did not lead at the break – perhaps underlining their own fragility – but when half-time did not provide any respite for Cardiff the dam could hold no longer and three tries in 10 minutes had the visitors staring down the barrel of a third tough derby loss of the season.
And yet, despite even the most optimistic members of the Blue & Blacks faithful presumably refusing to bet on us winning with 10 to go, win is exactly what we did. Away from home in a Welsh derby we were down and out of, this team dug in, played some cracking rugby, quietened the crowd and turned the momentum around a full 180.
Van Zyl will probably have a good review about how he set the team up tactically and some of the selection decisions to start, but the 6/2 bench was a masterstroke. Credit also has to go to Head of Recruitment Darren Allinson as Danny Southworth and, particularly, Javan Sebastian have offered so much to the front row stocks and they were crucial at Parc y Scarlets.
Ellis Bevan is worth mentioning too as someone who’s had a rollercoaster ride of an 18 months but has stepped up well when Cardiff have needed him these last few weeks, and his half-back partner Callum Sheedy also deserves a shout as a player that takes stick as all fly-halves do, but grabbed that game by the scruff of the neck in that last 10 minutes.
The attack was varied and accurate, pushing and pulling a Scarlets side in a level of disarray as they felt the tide turning. There were brave decisions to kick, backed up by some excellent chasing which the strength and conditioning team get the final shoutout for as the legs on display at the end were impressive.
Mostly though there was just a belief and resilience to this team which we’ve seen plenty of throughout the season, but showed up in abundance when it was most required. There’s so much uncertainty around the future direction of Cardiff at the moment, but when you’ve got players putting that much heart into the jersey it reaffirms why you love the club.
Who knows what the next week will hold. The exclusivity period with Y11 ends on Wednesday and then there’s another huge Welsh derby as – fittingly – Ospreys come to the Arms Park on Friday night. In an ongoing saga that would be difficult to write, this certainly seems like a script beyond imagination.
For now though it’s a beautiful chaos as Cardiff go to Scarlets and clutch a remarkable victory from past the jaws, down the oesophagus and into the stomach of defeat. They’ll be crying on the streets of Pontcanna tonight!
Cardiff Rugby Life 