By Andrew Collins
July 15 2005

The Cardiff Blues fixture-list is now complete and with games from 3 competitions, the Blues-boys look set for yet another busy season. And what better place to start away from the Arms Park than the province where Cardiff claimed their one and only away win of last season, Connacht.

So the countdown is on, 48 days of calm and ease left until the season begins and all hell breaks loose.

 

Dai and his bunch of merry men are on a mission, a mission to take Cardiff back to the top of world rugby and out of the regional disaster thus far. Any fan will tell you, Cardiff rugby has been declining for the past decade since our European Cup final loss to Toulouse. But it’s beginning to look as though we have seen the worst times, new players, new coaches and new facilities have been brought in to lift this struggling city side, but the hard work is very much still to come.

 

How many times have we as supporters looked as our squad and though, ‘This year will be different’? Well maybe this year it will, Dai has recruited well by bringing in Xavier Rush, Mike Phillips and ‘Stitch’, Rob Howley returns to Cardiff to take up a coaching role as does Neil Jenkins, and they too are joined by the full-time arrival of Richard Webster who undoubtedly made the most of our pack. And need I remind you of the well documented move to the Vale of Glamorgan indoor training facility.

 

The squad can play excellent rugby, but with injuries to too many players and numerous international appearances, last season went from bad to worse. The region must ensure this does not happen. People have questioned the basis of Cardiff’s stand alone status, and so far, they have been unanswered, we need stability, re-generation and importantly in this professional era, professionalism.

 

Names like Xavier Rush, Tom Shanklin, Martyn Williams, Gethin Jenkins, Nick Robinson, Mike Phillips will be pulling on the Blue shirt week in week out, and we must ensure that they fill their potential and represent Cardiff on a European scale once more. We have blamed bad luck for many seasons and defeats, but in the European draw we have had a slice of the good stuff, and if we are ever going to get there, now’s the time.

 

More losses and this region will die, the name Cardiff will never grace the world linked with rugby the way it did when Gareth Edwards played again. We have a lot to live up to, the challenge is there.

 

We have 3 years in my opinion to get Cardiff where it should be, and it starts here. Success breeds success, start small, lets be serious contenders for the Celtic league, make the Arms Park a fortress like it was 5 years ago, lets progress in Europe and lets win some bloody away games!

In 3 years this region can be up there with Leicester, Leinster, Munster, Toulouse and Wasps playing the Welsh way, and being successful, but it all starts here, it’s make or break time.

 

Let the games begin.