BLUES IN BILBAO FOR CHALLENGE CUP SHOWDOWN: THE BIG-MATCH PREVIEW
CARDIFF Blues will be looking to repeat their 2010 Challenge Cup triumph when they take on Gloucester in Bilbao tonight (8pm).
They have reached the final by getting past Toulouse, Lyon, Sale, Edinburgh and Pau, while the Cherry & Whites defeated Newcastle in the semi-final. So, how do the two teams match up head-to-head? Rugby correspondent delivers his verdict...
Gareth Anscombe 8 v Jason Woodward 8 BOTH born in New Zealand, both highly versatile and both able to make things happen. Anscombe has been named as a fly-half in Wales’ summer tour squad, but continues at full-back for the Blues to accommodate the red-hot Jarrod Evans at 10 and provides a vital second playmaker able to step up to first receiver. As for the fleet-footed Woodward, he is a real box of tricks and has been included in England’s training squad for the game against the Barbarians later this month, qualifying through his grandmother. Owen Lane 7 v Henry Trinder 8
LANE can consider himself very unlucky to have missed out on Wales squad selection, having enjoyed an outstanding breakthrough season. But, at just 20, he still has plenty of time on his side, not to mention abundant pace and power.
The classy Trinder’s best position is centre, and there’s a sense he’s wasted on the wing, but an injury crisis dictates and he does have the speed and footwork to do an accomplished job there.
Rey Lee Lo 7 v Billy Twelvetrees 7 WHEN he’s at his best, Samoan international Lee Lo is almost impossible to contain with the way he glides through opposition defences and finds space when none seems available. Turning to Twelvetrees, it’s easy to forget he is a Lion, having been called up to the 2013 tour of Australia, and he’s been a sound Premiership performer for a decade now. He also possesses one of the best nicknames in the game – 36. Think about it. Willis Halaholo 7 v Mark Atkinson 7 KIWI centre Halaholo has returned suitably refreshed after taking a mid-season break to have a longstanding knee problem sorted out. Few men enjoy a step more than the Aucklander and it can be a devastating weapon.
The much-travelled Atkinson, who has had previous spells at Sale, Wasps, Esher and Bedford, is a bit of an unsung stalwart in the Gloucester ranks, providing the grunt and glue in midfield. At 6ft 5ins and 15st 10lbs, he’s a big unit.
Blaine Scully 7 v Tom Marshall 6
WITH the Exeter-bound Alex Cuthbert having been ruled out of the final by a pectoral injury, the call goes out to Captain America and you couldn’t ask for a more committed character than the popular Scully, who is so good in the air.
He will be up against a versatile Kiwi in Marshall, who played more than 70 games of Super Rugby during stints with the Crusaders and the Chiefs.
Jarrod Evans 8 v Billy Burns 6
NEWLY crowned as Welsh Young Player of the Year, Evans has had a season to remember, steadily growing in stature. He’s always had an innate ability with ball in hand, but he’s now added kicking control and tactical awareness to his running game. He will have a point to prove in Bilbao having been left out of Wales’ summer tour, so Gloucester, you have been warned! Burns is the younger brother of Bath fly-half Freddie Burns and takes the reins with Owen Williams crocked.
Tomos Williams 7 v Callum Braley 6 WILLIAMS returned from Wales’ South Seas trip last year uncapped, having failed to get on the field, but he will get another chance this summer and you would expect him to break his duck. He’s established himself as first-choice at the Arms Park with his speed of pass and deed and he’s a real tempo-setting catalyst.
The Blues won’t be too disappointed at Willi Heinz’s absence, with the Kiwi scrum-half having been a real menace in last season’s quarter-final. His injury opens the way for former England U20s international Braley.
Rhys Gill 7 v John Afoa 8
WITH Gethin Jenkins ruled out by a calf injury sustained in the semi-final victory over Pau, Gill’s rapid recovery from a broken jaw suffered less than a fortnight ago on Judgement Day is all the more timely. He’s a really solid citizen to come in and he will know all about ex-All Blacks prop Afoa from his time in the Premiership with Saracens.
It should be a compelling old school scrummaging battle between these two thirtysomethings.
Kristian Dacey 7 v James Hanson 7
IT’S been a frustrating season for Dacey, who has been limited to just seven starts for the Blues due to assorted injuries and overtaken in the Wales hooking pecking order by Elliot Dee and Ryan Elias, who will tour ahead of him this summer.
But he’s back fit now and will offer a real ball-carrying, try-sniffing presence as he goes up against Wallaby Hanson, who has taken over from the Dragons-bound Richard Hibbard as first-choice at Kingsholm this season.
Taufa’ao Filise 6 v Josh Hohneck 6 WHEN Filise left the field just after half-time on Judgement Day and waved his way down the tunnel, we all thought that was farewell to the man dubbed the King of Tonga, who is retiring at the end of this season. But now, just a couple of weeks short