Cardiff Blues 2016/2017

First topic message reminder :

Surprised one of these isn’t up yet. If I’ve missed players just let me know and I’ll pop them in.

Squad

Hookers: Matthew Rees, Kirby Myhill, Kristian Dacey, Liam Belcher, Ethan Lewis
Props: Gethin Jenkins, Taufa'ao Filise, Rhys Gill, Scott Andrews, Dillon Lewis, Bradley Thyer, Anton Peikrishvili
Locks: Jarrad Hoeata, George Earle, James Down, Seb Davies
Back Row: Macauley Cook, Ellis Jenkins, Josh Navidi, James Sheekey, Josh Turnbull, Sam Warburton, Cam Dolan, Nick Williams
Scrum Half: Lloyd Williams, Lewis Jones, Tomos Williams
Fly Half: Gareth Anscombe, Jarrod Evans, Steven Shingler
Centre: Cory Allen, Garyn Smith, Rey Lee-Lo Willis Halaholo* (Joins after NPC)
Wing: Alex Cuthbert, Tom James, Blaine Scully
Fullback: Dan Fish, Matthew Morgan, Aled Summerhill, Rhun Williams

Pre-Season Results:
Dragons (L) 28-38
Bristol (W) 25-24

Hoping for a good season from the Blues. We’ve signed well in some areas, such as adding Nick Williams to our already well stocked back row. The addition of Shingler and Morgan should help our squad rotation in the backs but I can’t help but feel we’re lacking in the centre a bit. More so with Corey Allen’s potential for injury.

Pre-season has gone alright. Hammered by the Dragons for 50 mins, but we came back to score a few tries in the last 30. The Bristol game gave me worries about our scrum. Ma'afu looked more unfit against the Dragons then when he joined, it seems that he has a poor attitude and needs to buck his ideas up. Gill didn’t look great against Bristol and Thyer had a tidy game when he came on. Cam Dolan seems to have improved in the off season along with Down who had a good game against Bristol. Shingler and Morgan went well in the Bristol game as did Allen. Ray Lee-Lo will be our most important player this season I feel, he has a great attitude and really puts in a shift. Excited to see him and Halaholo link up later in the year.

Looking forward to the Edinburgh game on 3rd of September. C’mon the Bloooooooooos!

RiscaGame wrote:Sorry to hear that.

No worries mun.

Fri 01 Dec 2017 - Glasgow v Cardiff blues
Sat 02 Dec 2017 - Wales v South Africa

blydi annoying.

Not sure if I heard this correctly but is Geordan Murphy going to the Blues?

I've heard he's in the running.

Do Cardiff actually ruin players for real then?
Always thought it was one of those myths, but there we are...

"He says Scarlets have "had a lot of serious injuries which have resulted in surgeries," suffered at the Arms Park."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/42450556

Well at least one Cardiff player will get a medal this season.
Need a posh chair in the home dugout now too I guess. Carved oak, gold leaf, etc.

A close game against Lyon away. Shame that our regional select team got hammered 68-0 in Bristol. Let's hope they pick it up for next season in the British & Irish Cup #bluesfamily

An Academy/Prem Select team, against a full strength Bristol was never going to end well.

B and I Cup is no more though.

Here we go again......

"Cardiff Blues ponder moving from Arms Park home"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/42951454

Could go nomadic I spose....
"Wherever I lay my cap, that's my home" as what's his name sang.

Blexit?

More details yer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/42975221

CAC being greedy? Or £8m not enough? Where to now? New stadium? Ground share with the Dragons?! Move next door to the Principality Stadium, a la Edinburgh when they were at Murrayfield??? Buy out by the WRU? It’s all go out east!

The Oracle wrote:More details yer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/42975221

CAC being greedy? Or £8m not enough? Where to now? New stadium? Ground share with the Dragons?! Move next door to the Principality Stadium, a la Edinburgh when they were at Murrayfield??? Buy out by the WRU? It’s all go out east!

Lack of details too, ewe could say.
A long story that keeps getting longer.

Seriously though, I said it tongue in cheek but if the Blues are homeless, and potentially in financial trouble, and the WRU have a stadium next door and have (I think) previously discussed buying the Blues or investing in some way (did that happen?) then could a ‘WRU Blues’ playing at the MS be too far fetched as an idea???

The Oracle wrote:Seriously though, I said it tongue in cheek but if the Blues are homeless, and potentially in financial trouble, and the WRU have a stadium next door and have (I think) previously discussed buying the Blues or investing in some way (did that happen?) then could a ‘WRU Blues’ playing at the MS be too far fetched as an idea???

Sounds plausible. A "rugby decision", if ewe like. Best ask the Pieman.

Cardiff Dave wrote:

The Oracle wrote:Seriously though, I said it tongue in cheek but if the Blues are homeless, and potentially in financial trouble, and the WRU have a stadium next door and have (I think) previously discussed buying the Blues or investing in some way (did that happen?) then could a ‘WRU Blues’ playing at the MS be too far fetched as an idea???

Sounds plausible. A "rugby decision", if ewe like. Best ask the Pieman.

That was sort of my thinking. The sugar daddies at the dragons were given an easy out by the WRU. They’d had enough of putting money in, tried to find other investors but failed, wanted out, and then out of nowhere the WRU came riding in to save the day. They probably thought all their christmases had come at once! If pieman is in a similar boat and is thinking that he’s had enough and there’s little chance of finding a private buyer (who’d want to buy into a loss making thing like pro rugby?!) then the WRU knights in shining armour suddenly seem very appealing. We could see another east wales buyout.

The Oracle wrote:

Cardiff Dave wrote:

The Oracle wrote:Seriously though, I said it tongue in cheek but if the Blues are homeless, and potentially in financial trouble, and the WRU have a stadium next door and have (I think) previously discussed buying the Blues or investing in some way (did that happen?) then could a ‘WRU Blues’ playing at the MS be too far fetched as an idea???

Sounds plausible. A "rugby decision", if ewe like. Best ask the Pieman.

That was sort of my thinking. The sugar daddies at the dragons were given an easy out by the WRU. They’d had enough of putting money in, tried to find other investors but failed, wanted out, and then out of nowhere the WRU came riding in to save the day. They probably thought all their christmases had come at once! If pieman is in a similar boat and is thinking that he’s had enough and there’s little chance of finding a private buyer (who’d want to buy into a loss making thing like pro rugby?!) then the WRU knights in shining armour suddenly seem very appealing. We could see another east wales buyout.

The WRU got Rodders now though.

Rodders???

The Oracle wrote:Rodders???

Newport RFC's home, mun.

Sorry, yes I see. Would have been sold for houses probably, if not for the WRU. There were debts to pay. The lesser of two evils I guess.

The Oracle wrote:Sorry, yes I see. Would have been sold for houses probably, if not for the WRU. There were debts to pay. The lesser of two evils I guess.

That's the plan though isn't it, to build houses/flats or whatever on the top half? Recently employed a site manager too, I understand.

Cardiff Dave wrote:

The Oracle wrote:Sorry, yes I see. Would have been sold for houses probably, if not for the WRU. There were debts to pay. The lesser of two evils I guess.

That's the plan though isn't it, to build houses/flats or whatever on the top half? Recently employed a site manager too, I understand.

Think it would all have gone to be honest, to pay back the investors, creditors, etc. Seem to remember Brown and Co saying something like - if they keep rugby at RP and the WRU step in then they’ll forget the loans owed to them and walk away, but if not then they’ll want all of their money back which would have meant the sale of whole lot including the ground.

Cardiff Dave wrote:

The Oracle wrote:Sorry, yes I see. Would have been sold for houses probably, if not for the WRU. There were debts to pay. The lesser of two evils I guess.

That's the plan though isn't it, to build houses/flats or whatever on the top half? Recently employed a site manager too, I understand.

Not flats or houses. More likely bars & maybe a hotel.

I'd love to live at a rugby ground but not many else would.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/move-leckwith-good-cardiff-blues-2126392

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/new-twist-over-cardiff-arms-14279663

Meanwhile, Zebra fall short;

Zebra 3-10 Bloos

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/43171459

Loosehead, Hooker, Tighthead and another Loosehead.
Penalty try.
Clever.

I gather the penalty try award was in effect fair, but not for the scrum he went for. That right?

RiscaGame wrote:I gather the penalty try award was in effect fair, but not for the scrum he went for. That right?

Dunno. Ask Nige I reckon.
Match should be replayed imo.
I was mostly watching Ebbw/Merthyr anyway. Rugby and mud. Marvelous.

The Oracle wrote:Seriously though, I said it tongue in cheek but if the Blues are homeless, and potentially in financial trouble, and the WRU have a stadium next door and have (I think) previously discussed buying the Blues or investing in some way (did that happen?) then could a ‘WRU Blues’ playing at the MS be too far fetched as an idea???

It costs too much to open the PS for club games.

When the Os played SF there, they lost money on the game.