Moriarty in Six Nations boost, but Lydiate woe
WALES head coach Warren Gatland has received a timely Six Nations injury boost with Ross Moriarty expected to make his Gloucester return this weekend.
The news was all the more welcome after it was revealed yesterday that Dan Lydiate’s season has come to a premature end due to him needing a bicep operation.
Gatland has been staring down the barrel of a genuine back-row injury crisis, with Sam Warburton, Taulupe Faletau and now Lydiate all out of the running to play in Wales’ Six Nations opener against Scotland.
The loss of Faletau – coupled with a longterm injury to Ospreys juggernaut Dan Baker – has left Wales particularly short at No.8.
Moriarty has endured a nightmare seven months since suffering nerve damage in his back during the British and Irish Lions’ opening match against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians in June.
Since then, he has played just once – a game for Gloucester against Leicester Tigers – following which he suffered recurrence of the injury.
But it seems his frustrations are behind and he’s in line to make his Gloucester return against Agen this weekend.
“He’s fit and training again,” said Gloucester backs coach Tim Taylor.
“He’ll definitely be up for selection. “It would be great to get him back involved over the next few weeks as well.
“He’s fully-fit now, he’ll definitely get game-time over the next four-week block.
“It is just that he needs to be out there now, so it is a good block to come back into.”
Lydiate, meanwhile, is facing up to another term ruined by injury woes, with the 30-year-old set to undergo surgery to repair his bicep, an injury suffered during the Ospreys’ New Year’s Eve win over the Dragons.
It means Lydiate will have featured in just 36 matches in four seasons following his arrival at the Liberty from Racing Metro.
Since damaging his shoulder and hamstring captaining Wales in a pre-tour Test against England at Twickenham in 2016, the former Dragon has featured in just 12 games for his region and five for his country.
But news of Moriarty’s return will be music to the ears of Gatland after the Dragons-bound star stood in for Faletau superbly during last year’s Six Nations, showing form that earned him a spot on the Lions tour.
TOULOUSE visit the Welsh capital this weekend for a European Challenge Cup clash, and thoughts will inevitably turn to the journey they made back on January 7, 1996, for the first-ever Heineken Cup final with Cardiff at the National Stadium.
When the two sides stepped onto the sacred turf some 22 years ago, little did we know it would the first and last time a Welsh side would be scrapping it out for the ultimate prize in European club rugby.
In 1996, the boot won it for French aristocrats Toulouse as two extratime penalties from fly-half Christophe Deylaud ensured the first Heineken Cup headed to France and did for Cardiff’s hopes of landing the European silverware in front of a 21,800 crowd in the Welsh capital.
Not even the magic of Jonathan Davies, brought on at half-time, could conjure a Cardiff try as they relied on five Adrian Davies penalties to take the game into extra-time before eventually losing 21-18.
But what became of those players on show for the Blue & Blacks that day? MIKE RAYER Rayer played 21 times for Wales before turning to coaching with Cardiff and their academy sides.
He went to Bedford RFC in 2005, and 13 years on he’s still there as the director of rugby.
The Blues are currently fourth in the table but have little hope of catching big-spending leaders Bristol being 25 points adrift of the west country club.
STEVE FORD
The quicksilver wing very nearly didn’t play for Cardiff after being suspended from the union game for attending trails with Leeds Rugby League club.
In April 1985, Ford’s suspension was lifted and he was allowed to play union again, joining Cardiff.
He won his first international cap in the 1990 Five Nations Championship against Ireland, scoring on his debut, before going onto accrue seven more international appearances.
Ford now lives in Cardiff and is a selfemployed carpet fitter. MIKE HALL Hall went to the 1991 and 1995 World Cups, the latter as captain, and won 42 Welsh caps in all.
In 1989 he was on the Lions tour to Australia. He graduated from Cambridge University and qualified as a surveyor in 1991 and started his own company in 1994.
In 2006, he was involved with the development of the Cardiff City Stadium and the successful property developer also sat on the board of Cardiff City on two occasions.
Brought out a book chronicling his life in sport and on the Bluebirds board.
MARK RING
One of rugby’s greatest entertainers who graced both the Arms Park and Pontypool Park with equal adulation.
‘Ringo’ made his Wales debut as a 20-year-old in 1983 and was a key member of the 1988 Triple Crown squad from the centre position where he won most of his 34 caps.
After playing, Ring coached various clubs, including a spell as backs coach back at the Arms Park and Cross Keys.
He’s now involved with running skills camps and multi-sport coaching days as well as being part of the coaching team at local club St Peters.
SIMON HILL
The wing bagged two Welsh tries in 12 international appearances after making his Test debut against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 1993.
Hill spent nearly a decade at the Arms Park, playing in 241 games and scoring 115 tries before moving on to Bridgend in 2000.
He also had a spell playing for the Cardiff Medicals, which gave a clue to what he was to do in later life as Hill, now aged 47, is the principal dentist in a Llantwit Major surgery.
ADRIAN DAVIES
The outside-half was capped nine times by Wales and took in both the 1991 and 1995 World Cups. Davies gained three Blues in rugby and one in football while studying at Cambridge University.
He quit the game while at Richmond through injury, going on to coach Esher before becoming a director at London Welsh.
The chartered surveyor is now involved in the world of business development being a director at Clear Partners Limited in Twickenham.
ANDY MOORE
The scrum-half won four caps for Wales after making his debut against Japan in the 1995 World Cup. His last Test appearance came against Italy the following year and Moore went on to play for Richmond before heading to Neath and then Treviso.
The Oxford-educated No.9 works for Reginald Moore Ltd, a construction company in Cardiff, as well as being a TV commentator who was part of the ITV Wales team at the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the red-button translation on S4C’s PRO14 coverage.
ANDREW LEWIS
Lewis was the one who infamously gave away the key penalty in extratime that allowed Deylaud to slot over the winning three-pointer, cutting a forlorn figure when pinged by Irish referee David McHugh.
Lewis spent 14 seasons with Cardiff and the front-rower gained 29 Welsh caps. He carved out a successful career with wealth management services company Brewin Dolphin, starting out in a trainee capacity before rising through the ranks to be a divisional director at the Cardiff office.
He’s now the senior investment director and head of Welsh operations, in Cardiff, at Brooks Macdonald Asset Management Limited Also involved in the coaching set-up at Brecon working with their youth team.
JONATHAN HUMPHREYS
‘Humph’ played his club rugby at the Arms Park and Bath during a career which took in 35 Welsh caps and the 1995 and 1999 World Cups.
He moved into coaching and, in the summer of 2005, took charge of the forwards at the Ospreys, shortly after the region had claimed its first Celtic League title.
Humphreys then joined former Liberty Stadium boss Scott Johnson with Scotland as forwards coach in 2013 and remained in charge of their pack until Gregor Townsend took the reins of the national team last summer.
Humphreys has moved on to work under Dave Rennie at Guinness PRO14 pacesetters Glasgow Warriors.
LYNDON MUSTOE
The Chepstow-product made his name packing down in the Pontypool front-row before moving on to Cardiff in the 1993/94 season and playing more than 150 games for the Blue & Blacks in a six-year stay.
He represented Wales at Youth, U19, and U21 levels, and gained 10 senior caps after making his debut against Fiji in 1995. Mustoe is now believed to be involved in the construction industry in Newport.
JOHN WAKEFORD
Wakeford played his rugby for South Wales Police, Bristol and Caerphilly, as well as turning out 89 times for Cardiff between 1993 and 1997.
He played two games for Wales, winning his first cap against Samoa on November 12, 1988, in Cardiff before packing down against Romania a month later.
Outside of rugby, Wakeford was a police officer in the South Wales force for 31 years before moving into security on retirement.
DERWYN JONES
The giant lock played 164 games for Cardiff between 1993/93 won two Swalec Cup medals and played 19 times for Wales. He started out as a policeman with the Gwent force. On retiring from the game due to back problems, Jones went to Leamington Spa as a schoolteacher.
He returned to Wales to become team manager with the Blues before moving down the M4 to the Ospreys.
Jones is now a super agent, with the likes of Wales stars Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate, Justin Tipuric and James Hook on his books.
EMYR LEWIS
Lewis gained 41 caps for Wales between 1991 and 1996 and also captained the national side.
The back-rower spent eight years at the Arms Park, playing 174 matches and scoring 25 tries.
He moved back into sales work for various photocopying companies, currently Midshire Business Systems after rugby, and is still seen on TV as a rugby pundit.
OWAIN WILLIAMS
A far better player than the one cap attained playing for Wales against Namibia in 1990, Owain also captained the Welsh Sevens side. Spent a decade at Cardiff, scoring 41 tries in 223 matches.
In 2006, he lost his right eye after a cancer scare. Williams now lives in Cardiff, and works for a production set company, erecting and managing sets for TV shows like Hinterland having also worked on Dr Who and Casualty productions.
HEMI TAYLOR
Taylor was the Cardiff captain during their Heineken Cup final loss to Toulouse.
The tough-as-teak New Zealandborn back-rower gained 24 caps for Wales during his international career, making his debut against Portugal in the 1995 Rugby World Cup qualifier in Spain.
Outside rugby, Taylor ran the Moorlands Hotel pub, in Splott, Cardiff, before moving to west Wales, taking on a sheep and cattle small-holding near Aberaeron.