Cardiff delay pre-season amid Young uncertainty
CARDIFF Rugby have pushed back the start of their preseason training as uncertainty still reigns over the future of director of rugby David Young.
The Arms Park side were meant to start their pre-season training on June 5, but that has been pushed back a couple of weeks until things are further sorted out.
It’s understood that pre-season training will now begin on June 19 for Cardiff. That’s the same date as the Scarlets, who were due to start two weeks later having had a longer season with a Challenge Cup semifinal.
The big fear heading into the new season for Cardiff is the sheer uncertainty in terms of personnel and coaching staff.
The Arms Park side saw 16 players leave at the end of this season, as tightened budgets saw them unable to offer competitive contracts to players. With 11 players in the 50-man Wales World Cup training squad after Rhys Carre was dropped by Warren Gatland, Cardiff face starting the pre-season with roughly 20 players in camp.
With squad numbers dwindling, the idea of training against other regions throughout next season has been floated, while a formal regional loan system has also been considered. Neither idea seem likely to help Cardiff in the short-term.
The club are desperately short in some positions, like fly-half and centre, with reinforcements tricky to make with money being tight. One fly-half option, South African Tinus de Beer, was blocked by the
Welsh Rugby Union in favour of home-grown options - despite Cardiff being in the Champions Cup next season without an experienced 10 following the departures of Jarrod Evans and Rhys Priestland.
Sam Davies was briefly an option before his move to Grenoble, while Rhys Patchell seems set to join the Dragons. Gareth Anscombe had appeared set for a move to either Japan or France, but recently hinted at a desire to stay in Wales.
A return to Cardiff would make sense, but finances could be a stumbling block after they were unable to keep hold of Evans. Any announcements on signings are unlikely to be made before the situation with Young is resolved.
Cardiff’s director of rugby was suspended ahead of the final league game of the season after the club received a number of complaints from employees. Nothing has been said publicly about the nature of the allegations, with no update expected on the situation in the immediate future.
As such, it’s unclear who will be taking charge of Cardiff when they do return to training, with Richard Hodges, the man who stepped in for the final game of the season, having left his post as defence coach to join Zebre’s coaching ticket.
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