Cardiff Blues Season Thread (Toulon fall in Cardiff)

[wales606]

First topic message reminder :

Keeping organised the ins and outs at the Blues leading into next season.

New Signing
Paetru Tamba (during the season)
Filo Paulo - North Harbour (confirmed)
Matthew Rees (confirmed)
Liam Davies (confirmed - until end of season)
Gethin Jenkins (confirmed)
Miles Normandale (confirmed)
Rhys Gill - Saracens (rumoured) Unlikely
Craig Mitchell - Exeter (rumoured) Unlikely
Adam Warren - Scarlets (rumoured)
Dan Lydiate - Dragons (mentioned) (rumoured)
Scott Williams - Scarlets (rumoured)
James Hook (rumoured - again)
Rodney So’oialo - Honda Heat (rumoured)
Aled Summerhill - Blues Academy
Ben Roach - Blues Academy
Ellis Jenkins - Blues Academy
Tom Pascoe - Blues Academy
Will Thomas - Blues Academy

Departures (all confirmed)
Jamie Roberts - Racing Metro
Ceri Sweeney - Exeter Chiefs
Tom James - Exeter Chiefs
Michael Paterson - Sale Sharks
Jason Tovey - Newport Gwent Dragons
Campese Ma'afu - Nottingham
Ryan Harford - Cardiff RFC
Nathan Trevett - London Welsh
Matthew Screech - Newport Gwent Dragons
Darren Harries - Scarlets
Jake Cooper Wooley - London Wasps
Cory Hill - Cornish Pirates
Petru Tamba - Unattached
Andi Kyriacou - Retired
Xavier Rush


Re-Signings
Alex Cuthbert (3 years)
Scott Andrews (2 years)
Josh Navidi (3 year)
James Down (unknown)
Andreus Pretorious (can't find the article...)
Marc Breeze (unknown)
Lewis Jones (unknown)
Lloyd Williams (3 years)
Tom Williams (3 years)
Rhys Patchell (3 years)
Sam Hobbs (?3 years?)
Rhys Williams (?3 years?)
Tom Davies (?3 years?)
Richard Smith (2 years)

[Cardiff Dave]

Lions Captain - Sam Warburton
Wales Captain - Bradley Davies
Wales U20's Captain - Ellis Jenkins

WHY HAVEN'T WE WON A HEINEKEN CUP ALREADY

Christophe Deylaud, Tom James and Nugget.

[wales606]

Jenkins, Rees, Andrews,
Davies, Paulo.
You don't think that is any good?

Not until we get a decent scrummaging coach (and the backrow learn to bind) and that entire front 5 stay fit for the entire season

Even then we won't compete with the the big scrummaging sides (most of the French teams, several English, Irish and the O's)

[Cardiff Dave]

"Something is happening And it started happening when you walked by Something is happening And it's changing everything do you know why?"

???

[wales606]

What?

[Cardiff Dave]

What?

Herman's Hermits. Something's happening and all that.

[wales606]

What?

[Cardiff Dave]

What?

George III, what what?

[wales606]

Miles Normandale has signed from Cardiff Met Uni

Another lock on the books, if he is any good he could easily displace Downs and Hill in the pecking order

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22641866

[Cardiff Dave]

Told you something was happening 606;

"Cardiff Blues receive huge boost after attracting £500,000 from new investor"

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/cardiff-blues-receive-huge-boost-4006767

[wales606]

Told you something was happening 606;

"Cardiff Blues receive huge boost after attracting £500,000 from new investor"

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/cardiff-blues-receive-huge-boost-4006767

Heard there was a meeting about this, I assumed it was all for funding the new 4g pitch - not for new players unfortunately

Didn't realise they were issuing shares and getting a new board member.

[international197]

Miles Normandale has signed from Cardiff Met Uni

Another lock on the books, if he is any good he could easily displace Downs and Hill in the pecking order

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22641866

He's 'Bristolian', I suspect that means he's from Bristol and he's not WQ? Was there no WQ lock available?

[wales606]

Miles Normandale has signed from Cardiff Met Uni

Another lock on the books, if he is any good he could easily displace Downs and Hill in the pecking order

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22641866

He's 'Bristolian', I suspect that means he's from Bristol and he's not WQ? Was there no WQ lock available?

I would bet a considerable sum that he is Welsh qualified - a uni player would not be value if he had to take up a NWQ position for 2 years

[international197]

Told you something was happening 606;

"Cardiff Blues receive huge boost after attracting £500,000 from new investor"

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/cardiff-blues-receive-huge-boost-4006767

Heard there was a meeting about this, I assumed it was all for funding the new 4g pitch - not for new players unfortunately

Didn't realise they were issuing shares and getting a new board member.

£500,000 is a lot of money. Are you sure a 4g pitch is the wisest investment? Why not save it, pay off debts or us it to buy WQ players from overseas back? Both teams play on the same pitch whether it's grass or anything else, so the pitch will always be a level playing field no matter what 'type' of pitch it is. I think maybe a very small fraction of a £500,000 investment could have help kept Jamie Roberts at the Blues for another season, if it had happened earlier on in the season.

[thebluesmancometh]

Told you something was happening 606;

"Cardiff Blues receive huge boost after attracting £500,000 from new investor"

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/cardiff-blues-receive-huge-boost-4006767

Heard there was a meeting about this, I assumed it was all for funding the new 4g pitch - not for new players unfortunately

Didn't realise they were issuing shares and getting a new board member.

£500,000 is a lot of money. Are you sure a 4g pitch is the wisest investment? Why not save it, pay off debts or us it to buy WQ players from overseas back? Both teams play on the same pitch whether it's grass or anything else, so the pitch will always be a level playing field no matter what 'type' of pitch it is. I think maybe a very small fraction of a £500,000 investment could have help kept Jamie Roberts at the Blues for another season, if it had happened earlier on in the season.

Roberts wouldve commanded more than half of that easily, and he'd have turned out 6 times in the next 2 seasons like he did the last 2!!! The problem with signing WQ players from abroad is that they have ambitions and wouldn't be far away from a Wales call up, then they won't be interested in playing club games any more!!

Of the 500k they will spend 350k or so on the new pitch, and pocket the rest. I'd like to see some of it used to sign Delve who is throwing himself at them again, I got a fiver says it won't though!

[pioden gorllewin]

see miles in the gym a fair bit - physically very impressive considering his height/age. haven't seen him play, but physically he's looks in the same mould as brad thorn.

[wales606]

Told you something was happening 606;

"Cardiff Blues receive huge boost after attracting £500,000 from new investor"

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/cardiff-blues-receive-huge-boost-4006767

Heard there was a meeting about this, I assumed it was all for funding the new 4g pitch - not for new players unfortunately

Didn't realise they were issuing shares and getting a new board member.

£500,000 is a lot of money. Are you sure a 4g pitch is the wisest investment? Why not save it, pay off debts or us it to buy WQ players from overseas back? Both teams play on the same pitch whether it's grass or anything else, so the pitch will always be a level playing field no matter what 'type' of pitch it is. I think maybe a very small fraction of a £500,000 investment could have help kept Jamie Roberts at the Blues for another season, if it had happened earlier on in the season.

A 4g pitch is the best investment possible at the moment (bar a world class coach or two), it will improve the quality of the rugby, give the Blues a larger home advantage for a few seasons, allow the pitch to be utilised for other events in the week (think they have said that a lot more rugby will be played on it) and prevent fines from games being flooded off.

The pitch is worth 10 times the value that Roberts has put in over the last few season - we offered him a deal that would have made him one of the best paid players in the UK, he refused it = we can't spend a fortune to keep a single player away from the vast sums of money available in france, and Roberts is by far our most expendable international.


I hope that any extra money is used to sign a couple of quality players - Castro and Delve will do me nicely (and maybe Peel now that he want to come back to Wales)

[wales606]

Cory Allen has had to undergo a shoulder operation and has been ruled out of the U20s tour

http://www.wru.co.uk/eng/news/26932.php

[The Saint]

Wilson has also called up replacements for Patchell and Robinson who are with the senior squad.

Which you would know if you read that very link I guess...

[Cardiff Dave]

Told you something was happening 606;

"Cardiff Blues receive huge boost after attracting £500,000 from new investor"

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/cardiff-blues-receive-huge-boost-4006767

Heard there was a meeting about this, I assumed it was all for funding the new 4g pitch - not for new players unfortunately

Didn't realise they were issuing shares and getting a new board member.

£500,000 is a lot of money. Are you sure a 4g pitch is the wisest investment? Why not save it, pay off debts or us it to buy WQ players from overseas back? Both teams play on the same pitch whether it's grass or anything else, so the pitch will always be a level playing field no matter what 'type' of pitch it is. I think maybe a very small fraction of a £500,000 investment could have help kept Jamie Roberts at the Blues for another season, if it had happened earlier on in the season.

A 4g pitch is the best investment possible at the moment (bar a world class coach or two), it will improve the quality of the rugby, give the Blues a larger home advantage for a few seasons, allow the pitch to be utilised for other events in the week (think they have said that a lot more rugby will be played on it) and prevent fines from games being flooded off.

The pitch is worth 10 times the value that Roberts has put in over the last few season - we offered him a deal that would have made him one of the best paid players in the UK, he refused it = we can't spend a fortune to keep a single player away from the vast sums of money available in france, and Roberts is by far our most expendable international.


I hope that any extra money is used to sign a couple of quality players - Castro and Delve will do me nicely (and maybe Peel now that he want to come back to Wales)

Agreed and I reckon (hope) they will wait until the RRW/WRU spat and the future of the HEC is sorted before splashing the cash on players.

[Cardiff Dave]

"Cardiff Blues delighted to welcome Martyn Ryan to the Board of Directors.

An EGM of Cardiff RFC ltd shareholders on Wednesday evening voted to accept the Cardiff born business man to the Board."

http://www.cardiffblues.com/news/6392.php

[Coleman]

We've signed up 13 new players to our academy.

www.cardiffblues.com/news/6393.php

I find it very strange that we have a player from Llandovery College in our ranks; unless he is unwanted by the Scarlet’s then i kind of see this as not really in the spirit of the regional set up.

Also very happy to read: "Some of these Academy players will play for Pontypridd RFC and some will play for Cardiff RFC, it breaks down to 9 to Pontypridd and 14 to Cardiff and it all depends on where we think the player will develop best."

Very glad that we will be sending players to Ponty as they have a very good winning mentality there and i may bang on about it but we really need to engage them regionally. Good new for the future!

[pioden gorllewin]

We've signed up 13 new players to our academy.

www.cardiffblues.com/news/6393.php

I find it very strange that we have a player from Llandovery College in our ranks; unless he is unwanted by the Scarlet’s then i kind of see this as not really in the spirit of the regional set up.

Also very happy to read: "Some of these Academy players will play for Pontypridd RFC and some will play for Cardiff RFC, it breaks down to 9 to Pontypridd and 14 to Cardiff and it all depends on where we think the player will develop best."

Very glad that we will be sending players to Ponty as they have a very good winning mentality there and i may bang on about it but we really need to engage them regionally. Good new for the future!

Ollie Smythe was someone gyppo was looking at, but not sure what happened. maybe we've decided to go with kyle evans and aaron warren instead. yeah don't really like the blues scouting at llandovery college, it's where we got george north from!!!!we need to keep that little gravy train going. but to be fair think the scarlets have done the same to the blues before, so can't complain. didn't we set up some partnership with the old UWIC which is in blues territory.

[Coleman]

Yeah UWIC even moved to Div 1 West as part of the agreement. But with the signing of Normandale I would assume that they're back to being part of our region.

I also think there is an interesting debate here for the regional set up. Should we be limited to signing young players( <19 for instance) exclusively from within our boundaries, or should we go and get players who play in say England like the ones mentioned in the article, and also should regions pursue players from outside their boundaries if they are in need of better quality players in that position. Because this could become an area of friction between the regions if they begin head hunting players who are within other region.

[Cardiff Dave]

We've signed up 13 new players to our academy.

www.cardiffblues.com/news/6393.php

I find it very strange that we have a player from Llandovery College in our ranks; unless he is unwanted by the Scarlet’s then i kind of see this as not really in the spirit of the regional set up.

Also very happy to read: "Some of these Academy players will play for Pontypridd RFC and some will play for Cardiff RFC, it breaks down to 9 to Pontypridd and 14 to Cardiff and it all depends on where we think the player will develop best."

Very glad that we will be sending players to Ponty as they have a very good winning mentality there and i may bang on about it but we really need to engage them regionally. Good new for the future!

The bloos region is bigger than I thought;

"Another signing is Jack Maynard from the Scarlets Academy who is a fly half. We also work with other clubs and Ollie Hitchings is going to Biarritz as part of an agreement we have started with them for him to study and play in France for a year."

[pioden gorllewin]

To be fair to Phil Davies he seems to be thinking outside the box a fair bit, to make the best out of the resources at the region. Firstly he got that Romanian project to see if he can unearth and cheap unknown Eastern Europeans, this Biarritz exchange thing & now widening the scouting network.

Should be commended for trying new things.

[Cardiff Dave]

To be fair to Phil Davies he seems to be thinking outside the box a fair bit, to make the best out of the resources at the region. Firstly he got that Romanian project to see if he can unearth and cheap unknown Eastern Europeans, this Biarritz exchange thing & now widening the scouting network.

Should be commended for trying new things.

Indeed, yet Biarritz is a tad south of Cardiff so Lord Dowlais won't be happy at all although i'll bet his old man won't give a monkeys

[XR]

Heard you can get to Biarritz via Barry Island, there's the regional connection

[Coleman]

Maybe we will be getting players in return? I can see how it works. We want our players to learn on the hard baked grounds in the Bay of Biscay and they can send up players to get used to playing in rice paddies over here!

[pioden gorllewin]

didn't phil davies also say he was looking to do a player exchange partnership with a team in NZ?

[ScarletSpiderman]

didn't phil davies also say he was looking to do a player exchange partnership with a team in NZ?

Didn't the Ospreys do something like that a few years ago, sending Pitman and Spratt (I think, I know it was a centre) off there for a season in the ITM?

[pioden gorllewin]

yeah think Spratt went out and played in the taranaki area.

kind of wish the scarlets had a similar thing and we brought in two raw islanders. they then bring there family over to settle in sunny west wales (Tuilagi esque) which results in us having generations of ball carrying/ bone crunching WQ/Samoans running havoc......wishful thinking hey?!

[LordDowlais]

I have to say, I think the Blues are just a decent coach away from being a very competitive side next year, they seem to be making the right noises and have seemed to start to take notice of the sucsess Ponty are having, perhaps they could take a punt on the Chief to go down to the capital and help out with a bit of coaching, perhaps he could scare the Blues players into performing at the next level.

[XR]

I've always said that the blues could and should be involving chief and paul john in their coaching set up. He runs theu18's i believe and it would be a good step up to bring him in, say, forwards coach and he could still coach ponty as well. John, well he's off with the 7's now and wouldn't be surprised if he goes in to the Welsh set up when Gatland's successor is named.

Re; the noises coming out of the blues - all down to Holland and his team, we finally have professional people steering the ship. When Holland came in i was sceptical but he's done a fantastic job, as has his team.

[LordDowlais]

What do you think about Phill Davies, gcBlues ?

[wales606]

I have to say, I think the Blues are just a decent coach away from being a very competitive side next year, they seem to be making the right noises and have seemed to start to take notice of the sucsess Ponty are having, perhaps they could take a punt on the Chief to go down to the capital and help out with a bit of coaching, perhaps he could scare the Blues players into performing at the next level.

We REALLY REALLY REALLY need the new that Baber has been sent to coach the U10s girls team and we have brought in a competent backs coach.

[wales606]

Re; the noises coming out of the blues - all down to Holland and his team, we finally have professional people steering the ship. When Holland came in i was sceptical but he's done a fantastic job, as has his team.

Yep, Holland is doing a fantastic job at the moment - a lot of the good off field news is coming from him. Someone to stand up to PT

[XR]

What do you think about Phill Davies, gcBlues ?

I think he came in at a REALLY bad time, players leaving and no budget and has had a bit of a baptism of fire in that sense. He has his bad points (never seems to accept being a poor team in games is a big annoyance to me, playing hewitt & evans together, starting filise) but he also has his plus points - he's brought Rhys Patchell in to the team and he's been one of the players of the season for the blues, he's given Navidi and sustained run out even with warburton back from duties with wales - he seems a big believer in youth (Owen Williams, Richard Smith, Tom Davies) and with the situation we're in, that's going to be a big deal to us. I just hope Baber gets his marching orders, with the backline we have to only score more tries than Zebre is criminal...Connacht have Dan Parks playing for them and scored more tries! Mark Ring is involved in cardiff rfc...

Next season will be where my opinion will be finalised, this first year was a learning curve for a lot of the young players having to step up. I expect us to win our home games, score more tries than we did this year and be competative away from CAP.

[wales606]

What do you think about Phill Davies, gcBlues ?

I think he came in at a REALLY bad time, players leaving and no budget and has had a bit of a baptism of fire in that sense. He has his bad points (never seems to accept being a poor team in games is a big annoyance to me, playing hewitt & evans together, starting filise) but he also has his plus points - he's brought Rhys Patchell in to the team and he's been one of the players of the season for the blues, he's given Navidi and sustained run out even with warburton back from duties with wales - he seems a big believer in youth (Owen Williams, Richard Smith, Tom Davies) and with the situation we're in, that's going to be a big deal to us. I just hope Baber gets his marching orders, with the backline we have to only score more tries than Zebre is criminal...Connacht have Dan Parks playing for them and scored more tries! Mark Ring is involved in cardiff rfc...

Next season will be where my opinion will be finalised, this first year was a learning curve for a lot of the young players having to step up. I expect us to win our home games, score more tries than we did this year and be competative away from CAP.

The obsession with Hewitt-Evans is his biggest black mark, hopefully getting rid of Baber will help

There are big problems with the coaching of the forwards and back though, and I don't think Davies has done anything to help sort out the abysmal coaching he has inherited.

I would really like to see Mike Rayer back in Cardiff as head coach, with McIntosh as forwards coach and Paul John as backs coach and a specialist scrum coach brought in. That coaching team wouldn't cost the world either.

[XR]

That's another problem Davies had when he came in, he didn't get to pick his staff and was given what was there...which is sub standard in some areas. I can't blame him for that, Burnell was sent packing last year and the blues couldn't afford to shift him and baber so he went (probably because they knew getting davies means that he could cover the forwards). Baber is, apparently, the reason Richie Rees left for Edinburgh and has now gone to the dragons which, in my eyes, is absolutely criminal.

[LordDowlais]

Baber does come across as some what arrogantish, if that is a word, I could easily see him being a my way or the highway type of person.

[wales606]

Every day that goes past without news of a new backs coach disturbs me.

[XR]

Baber does come across as some what arrogantish, if that is a word, I could easily see him being a my way or the highway type of person.

Aye and because he was in charge at the time, he would have been (albeit partl) responsable for not offering richie a new contract.

[wales606]

Baber does come across as some what arrogantish, if that is a word, I could easily see him being a my way or the highway type of person.

Aye and because he was in charge at the time, he would have been (albeit partl) responsable for not offering richie a new contract.

Baber was 100% responsible for Rees leaving

[wales606]

It's a disaster!

We have lost our tier 1 status!

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_8741793,00.html

[Coleman]

Was always going to happen. We got their once before and we'll get there again if we can utilise the talent coming through at the moment.

[Cardiff Dave]

Baber does come across as some what arrogantish, if that is a word, I could easily see him being a my way or the highway type of person.

Aye and because he was in charge at the time, he would have been (albeit partl) responsable for not offering richie a new contract.

Richie Rees reveals pay cut forced him to leave Cardiff Blues
13 Apr 2012 00:00
RICHIE REES has revealed how he opted to join Edinburgh after being asked to take a pay cut by the Cardiff Blues.
“They did want me to stay, but there was a money cut involved to be honest with you."

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/richie-rees-reveals-pay-cut-2032435

[Cardiff Dave]

It's a disaster!

We have lost our tier 1 status!

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_8741793,00.html

Chapeau 1 : Leinster (IRL), Toulon (FRA), Toulouse (FRA), Clermont (FRA), Munster (IRL), Ulster (IRL)
Chapeau 2 : Northampton (ANG), Harlequins (ANG), Cardiff (PdG), Saracens (ANG), Leicester (ANG), Perpignan (FRA)
Chapeau 3 : Edimbourg (ECO), Swansea (PdG), Llanelli (PdG), Glasgow (ECO), Montpellier (FRA), Connacht (IRL)
Chapeau 4 : Gloucester (ANG), Castres (FRA), Racing (FRA), Exeter (ANG), Trévise (ITA), Zèbre (ITA)

Snigger.

[Cardiff Dave]

Baber does come across as some what arrogantish, if that is a word, I could easily see him being a my way or the highway type of person.

Aye and because he was in charge at the time, he would have been (albeit partl) responsable for not offering richie a new contract.

Richie Rees reveals pay cut forced him to leave Cardiff Blues
13 Apr 2012 00:00
RICHIE REES has revealed how he opted to join Edinburgh after being asked to take a pay cut by the Cardiff Blues.
“They did want me to stay, but there was a money cut involved to be honest with you."

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/richie-rees-reveals-pay-cut-2032435

Looks to me as if Richie was offered a new contract.

[GavinDragon]

Yeah UWIC even moved to Div 1 West as part of the agreement. But with the signing of Normandale I would assume that they're back to being part of our region.

I also think there is an interesting debate here for the regional set up. Should we be limited to signing young players( <19 for instance) exclusively from within our boundaries, or should we go and get players who play in say England like the ones mentioned in the article, and also should regions pursue players from outside their boundaries if they are in need of better quality players in that position. Because this could become an area of friction between the regions if they begin head hunting players who are within other region.

definately should be looking in all areas, esp in England, although raised in Ebbw Vale Faletau was picked up by the Dragons when he was playing for Filton College in Bristol

[wales606]

Justin Burnell has been names coach of London Welsh

Hopefully he will want Baber as his backs coach!

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