Can Cardiff find 23 players? It looks like they’ll have to

IT was going to be one of the biggest days of Cardiff’s season. The opening round of the Champions Cup with the holders in town.

French aristocrats Toulouse are set to provide the opponents for Dai Young’s men at a packed Arms Park.

But now Cardiff face the prospect of suffering a 28-0 walkover defeat, the result that will be recorded if they fail to field a team after being hit by the Omicron Covid variant in South Africa.

The region yesterday confirmed, though, that the bulk of the travelling party, who have recorded negative PCR tests, were flying to England before 10 days of isolation in a hotel, leaving six members of the tour party who tested positive behind.

The reports are there will be no postponing of European fixtures to a later date, and Cardiff have vowed to fulfil the fixture, with Young saying: “Anyone from this trip will be ineligible to face Toulouse and Quins, but we have got a number of internationals back home and we’ll do everything in our power to honour these fixtures.”

The question is whether there is any way the Arms Park outfit can piece together a team, using the senior stars who didn’t go to South Africa along with youngsters and players from Cardiff RFC. We’ve had a go at coming up with a side.

To start with there are the six Wales squad members who stayed at home: Josh Adams, Willis Halaholo, Tomos Williams, Dillon Lewis, Seb Davies and Ellis Jenkins. There have been injury doubts over centre Halaholo (calf) and prop Lewis (feet), but the hope is they will be fit in time.

Then you’ve got flanker Olly Robinson, who is healthy and well having not been one of the Barbarians players to contract Covid, forcing the cancellation of last Saturday’s game against Samoa at Twickenham.

Fellow back-rower James Botham could also possibly come into the mix following the heel injury that delayed his return from shoulder surgery.

There are other players with plentiful regional experience in Dan Fish and Jason Tovey, plus the likes of Sam Moore and Alun Lawrence, with No. 8 Lawrence’s lineout work making him a possible second-row option.

Looking at young Academy products, you’ve got Jacob Beetham, Theo Cabango, Iestyn Harris, Nathan Evans, Will Davies-king, Rhys Anstey, Ethan Lloyd, Ioan Evans and Ryan Wilkins.

Beetham has been going really well at full-back for the Cardiff RFC Premiership side, as has teenage winger Cabango, the brother of Welsh football international Ben.

They could be joined in the starting back three by the experienced and ultra-versatile Fish, with Josh Adams perhaps partnering Halaholo in the centre.

The biggest issue would be whether they have six fit front-row forwards. There are four looseheads out in South Africa in the shape of Rhys Carre, Corey Domachowski, Brad Thyer and Theo Bevacqua, while Rhys Gill is sidelined with concussion.

So it might require an SOS call to Cardiff RFC prop Thomas Davies, who has made more than 80 regional appearances for the Blues and Dragons.

There could also be issues at tighthead with the doubt over Dillon Lewis, while Academy hooker Efan Daniel is out with a broken finger.

Cardiff could be given permission to draft in players on permit, but slotting strangers into the set-up with next to no preparation time is easier said than done.