Is this a blUePrint FOr clUb’s FUtUre?
TWO fixtures in to the Champions Cup and Cardiff sit on zero points with a points difference of -58. Had they forfeited clashes against Toulouse and Harlequins, as they easily could have with 42 players unavailable after their South African nightmare, they would actually be two points better off in the points difference column.
That Cardiff would, on pool standing alone, have been better off not turning up is a stark reminder that sport isn’t always fair.
Given the sheer work that’s gone in to simply get a team out in blue jerseys on back-to-back weekends, it’s almost inconceivable that, in the most basic terms, they find themselves in a worse position than if they’d not put the effort in.
But, of course, they don’t.
The rewards Cardiff have mined from a remarkable couple of weeks far outweigh anything that could be quantified by a rudimentary table.
Last week’s clash with Toulouse was largely a case of the emotion taking care of proceedings, as captain Ellis Jenkins – one of the few internationals amongst the mix-and-match side of semi-pro and academy products – put it, while the trip to Twickenham Stoop to take on Harlequins was about backing up that initial rush of adrenalin with something more.
Remarkably, they did it, and then some, for the best part of an hour – going toe to toe with the Premiership title holders in a performance that wasn’t hindered by the element of fear.
The end result was a performance that offered so much to the Blue and Blacks beyond the final scoreline, in both tangible and intangible terms.
When Cardiff dropped the Blues moniker in the summer, it felt like the start of a new dawn for a club trying to recapture the spirit of their past.
If that’s the case, then these last two weeks, when the club has pulled together in the most strenuous of circumstances, might just have done more for that new era than any name change ever could have.
For all the points they ultimately conceded to the European champions last week, and then the English champions this weekend, they more than gained in defining exactly what the culture at the Arms Park should be.
And two Saturday afternoon clashes live on terrestrial television went some way to spreading that gospel to a wider audience as they became the second favourite team of rugby watchers across Europe. If they weren’t playing your team, you wanted them to do well.
Far and wide, the chapel of Dan Fish has gained more followers in the past seven or so days than the parish ever boasted before.
The man who can’t quite retire has made fans out of all who watched him.
Such was his performance at flyhalf, Fish was among the top 10 trends on Twitter in the UK, hardly a bad achievement given all that’s currently happening on these isles. Leading pundit David Flatman was one of many on social media to question whether his decision to hang up the boots might have been a bit hasty.
His wasn’t the only performance to catch the eye.
James Botham once again shone in superlative fashion, while Willis Halaholo and Rey Lee-Lo proved once again why they are an irresistible centre combination.
Sam Moore, who has had no luck with injuries since moving to Cardiff, put in a remarkable performance after replacing the unavailable Olly Robinson, the latest in a long line of players who stepped up when it mattered.
A word too for the front-row resources plucked from their day jobs.
On another day, Rowan Jenkins, Evan Yardley and Geraint James can be found as a club groundsman, primary school teacher and quantity surveyor.
However, they didn’t look out of place at the Stoop – another fairytale piled on top of the many others to warm the cockles even more.
Then there were the young guns who took their chances with both hands.
Theo Cabango could scarcely believe the fine solo try he scored. If anything, those watching on were likely less surprised than the 19-yearold, such was the way the academy product had taken to senior rugby in these two games.
Jacob Beetham impressed last week at full-back, but when he missed out on the trip through suspension, the even younger Cameron Winnett stepped in and barely missed a beat.
Within minutes of his senior debut he was crossing for the opening try. Those who caught him in action for the U18s side against the Dragons in
June might not have expected such a rapid ascension to first-team rugby, but he didn’t look overawed by it at all.
Finally, just the way Cardiff went about playing – embracing the chaos, backing their skills and putting on a show, was refreshing in itself.
When Young’s charges return, they may well find that, particularly with the perennial issues they tend to have in terms of stocky second rows, leaning into those ideals might be worthwhile.
Above all else, the general feelgood factor, as glib and clichéd as it might sound, was reward enough.
Welsh rugby isn’t often a place filled with cheer.
For the regions, they’ve often had little to smile about in the past two years. More often than not, they must feel like banging their heads against a brick wall.
The hurdles placed in front of them by the Welsh Rugby Union have limited what they’ve been able to achieve in recent years.
During the pandemic, the Welsh
Rugby Union’s decisions to spend the £51 million from CVC’s Six Nations investment on capital projects such as the hotel on Westgate Street didn’t go down well.
And the move to place the burden of the repayment of a £20m loan to cover their own payments for services to the four Welsh sides on the regions themselves still baffles, effectively penalising regions for boasting Welsh internationals.
Of course, those issues will still be there in the coming days, weeks and months. Goodwill alone, as much as Cardiff have accrued, won’t solve them in the slightest.
In fact, for all they’ve done in trying circumstances, it would feel even more of a slap in the face were problems not to be remedied.
However, for now at least, Cardiff, and Welsh rugby as a whole, can raise a little smile to a remarkable couple of weeks.
For the second week in a row, the Arms Park side were the toast of European rugby.
That’s worth something at least.