Paul John

By Andrew Collins
January 3 2014

With Gareth Baber’s departure imminent, Wales Sevens coach Paul John appears to be the new front runner to become Cardiff Blues’ backs coach; And former captain Pretorius announces he’s leaving for Worcester.

John, who currently combines roles as Pontypridd’s assistant coach and Wales Sevens Head Coach, has a wealth of experience having first cut his coaching teeth at Wales National Acadamy level, before coaching his hometown club. In 2009, he led his sevens side to the Rugby World Cup, winning in extraordinary circumstances having been massive underdogs prior to the competition. His track record at both club and international level are of the highest ilk and, should he be selected, would be fully deserving of the chance to step up to European level.

He would re-join his friend and colleague Dale McIntosh in the new-look coaching set up, whose influence in a short space of time has been widely credited for the Blues’ mini-revival and European success.

One bone of contention, however, is with Pontypridd RFC themselves, who recently condemned the region for poaching McIntosh and captain Chris Dicomidis mid-season. Chief Executive, Stephen Reardon, accused Cardiff RFC Ltd. of ‘arrogant contempt’ over the festive period as no official approach was made for either party. While there may be truth in the allegation, Reardon fails to mention that McIntosh was in fact already a paid member of staff with CRFC Ltd and that the ‘poaching’ of Dicomidis was within the working notion of the regional step-ladder and is the reason they fund Pontypridd RFC every year.

That aside, it’s clear there is still bad blood between the two parties which could hamper a deal for John to take up a role at the Arms Park.

In other news, former captain Andries Pretorius has become the latest player to announce he will be leaving the Cardiff Blues. The South African born back row joined in 2009 and quickly established himself as a hard running ball carrier with tenacity and commitment. Sadly, injury derailed him during his prime in 2010/11 and he has failed to recapture his excellent early form since returning.

Despite suffering reoccurring injury problems, his teammates elected him as their chosen captain when Phil Davies took the helm in 2012, citing his work ethic and professionalism as exemplary, something echoed by Davies during today’s announcement;

"Andries has been a fantastic professional during his time with the Blues. He is a real team player, a very popular member of the squad and has been a wonderful servant to our region.

"Andries has always been willing to pass on his experience to the younger players in our squad and during a time of change at Blues over the last few years he has done a great deal to help develop the right environment and mentality here.

"We will naturally be sad to see him leave at the end of the season and he will go with our best wishes, but we have a number of young players in the back row who are now eager to step up. We are also actively recruiting in the market for new back row options as we want to add yet more experience to the young players who are making such a big impression for us."

One of those hotly tipped to replace Pretorius is the Scarlets’ Josh Turnbull, while there were also rumours last year that a deal had been given to New Zealander Victor Vito. The Blues are yet to confirm any new signings however.

As for Pretorius himself, he thanked the fans and players for the ‘unwavering support’ he has received;

"I have really loved my time at Cardiff Blues and it has been an absolute honour to play for and captain such a great team. I have made many friends here over the last few years and the fans have been fantastic in their unwavering support.

"I will continue to give Cardiff 100 percent, like I have always done, until the end of the season and we have many big games and challenges to look forward to in both the Heineken Cup and RaboDirect PRO12."

Pretorius has been a superb role model for the Cardiff Blues, oozing professionalism in every facet of his game and in his friendly manner with fans. A polite, well spoken and approachable man off the field, he was aggressive, full-blooded and committed on it. We’d like to thank Andries for his impeccable service to the Cardiff Blues over the past 5 years and wish him all the very best in his new role with Worcester next season. However, with a lot of important matches still to come this year, he’ll be hoping to leave on a high note yet!