Posted by Every season I desperately try to elicit some sort of in-depth tactical insight from pre-season, and then every season I remember it’s just a means to an end.
That’s not to say it’s not important, of course it is. Just that what it’s largely important for is shaking off the ring rust that a long off-season brings, getting the body used to taking contact again and ensuring there’s enough high intensity running done to be ready for the United Rugby Championship to get underway.
In that sense it’s been a successful few weeks for Cardiff. While others may have racked up big scores on lower quality or under strength opposition, the Blue & Blacks have taken on an English Champ winning Worcester Warriors at full tilt and then an internationals-packed Exeter Chiefs side fresh off making the Gallagher Prem Final.
A narrow win in the first of those at Sixways, followed by a narrow loss at home underline the quality of both hit outs, with a strong feeling that Corniel Van Zyl’s side are now fully ready to fly into the round one trip to Scarlets next Saturday evening.
There have been elements of both games to improve on, no question about that. Handling errors have been a bit too prevalent on both occasions, while each game has had spells of being under the cosh where penalties have piled up a bit too much. If both were competitive fixtures there would probably have been a yellow for us in each for multiple infringements.
Focusing on the handling errors for a moment though and that does feel like a symptom of an attacking game with an increased amount of attempted offloads. Perhaps the influence of new assistant coach Dan Bowden being felt as we try to keep the ball away from contact and play with more pace in phase play.
If that begins to click for the start of the season proper then it’ll be a much more exciting and productive attacking campaign than some of the struggles which bogged Cardiff down last time out. There may be a few painful moments to endure while it beds in though.
Team selection wise there wasn’t a huge amount to read into. Harri Millard and Osian Darwin-Lewis shared the outside centre duties, Mason Grady remained on the wing, Jarrod Evans wasn’t risked in either game as Callum Sheedy wore 10 twice and anyone with a long-term injury was protected from action.
It was the young players that were the overwhelmingly positive news story for the Blue & Blacks this pre-season though.
Seeing Tom Howe, Sonny McCabe, Sion Davies, Lloyd Lucas and Rhys Cummings getting their first tastes of senior professional rugby at Worcester is another great moment for the Cardiff pathway, as well as for the players and their families. Hopefully we’ll see plenty more of them in years to come.
Most impressive though was how the likes of Lucas, Steff Emanuel, Darwin-Lewis, Tom Bowen and Matty Young performed in the second half against an Exeter side with plenty of quality still out on the field. They remained competitive throughout and even had the confidence to go and express themselves in attack.
Lucas de la Rua getting good game time in both games was also encouraging as the back rower prepares to finally enjoy what it is hoped will be a breakout season at senior professional level, while Joe Cowell and Tom Cottle got valuable exposure before returning to the Super Rygbi Cymru level.
All in all a positive enough three weeks for Cardiff, and now attention turns to the URC and that big Welsh derby to kick things off at Parc y Scarlets. A tricky one first up, and getting emotionally ready will be as important as getting physically ready, but also a great opportunity to start the season off with a statement win.
Rugby is back! Ymlaen Caerdydd.
