Grady out to make grade at Arms Park
CARDIFF Rugby have named talented young back Mason Grady in their matchday squad for the first time in more than 12 months to face Zebre Parma on Friday night at Cardiff Arms Park (7.35pm kickoff).
The rescheduled United Rugby Championship clash is the Welsh region’s last home game of the season where Dai Young’s men will target their first win since victory over Glasgow on March 26.
Four defeats have followed; two to the Scarlets, one to the Ospreys and it was a loss away to Munster last time out. However, the hosts will be bidding to return to winning ways for the occasion which will also mark Seb Davies’ 100th first-team appearance and Rhys Carre’s 50th.
Grady, 20, impressed in Cardiff RFC’s title run-in and is named in the first-team squad for the first time since suffering a knee injury in March 2021. The little brother of Wales international Cory Allen is a strapping centre come wing who represented Wales U20s aged just 17 and made his regional debut in November 2020 before his season was cut short prematurely.
Davies links up with Matthew Screech in the second row, while Carre is joined by Liam Belcher and Dmitri Arhip in the front row. Josh Navidi continues as captain in an unchanged back row, with Rhys Priestland and Matthew Morgan coming into the back-line to replace the injured Jarrod Evans and Hallam Amos respectively.
Cardiff boss Young said: “First of all, we must congratulate Seb and Rhys for reaching these milestones. “They have enjoyed some good individual form in recent weeks and it would be great if they could celebrate with a win.
“We have been very disappointed with our results and performances in the last month or so and we are determined to get back to winning ways.”