Another week, another brave (but ultimately unsuccessful) outing in the Emerald Isle for Danny Wilson’s men. Despite obvious signs of improvement (more on that later), the Pro 12 table makes for familiar reading with the Blues languishing in 9th place with just one victory in their opening five fixtures, that coming against the Italian whipping boys Zebre. On that day they ran in an impressive 11 tries and filled their long-suffering supporters with hope. However, due to the Rugby World Cup fan-zone taking up residence in their home ground for the last five weeks, the Blues have spent the past month on the road, coming up against the four Irish provinces. In the first three of these fixtures there has been plenty of promise, with the Blues showing some impressive attacking endeavour and spirit to give themselves a chance of victory in all three encounters. However, before Friday nights encounter at Ulster all they had to show for their efforts were 2 bonus points, both picked up in a bruising encounter with Connacht.
Sadly, Friday night went much the same way as the other Irish adventures, with Ulster proving too strong for a Cardiff side that couldn’t match the men in white’s attacking prowess. Once again, they conceded four tries to give their opponents a 5 point victory. This was the third match in succession that their opponents have crossed the whitewash at least four times, a statistic which must surely worry defence guru, Graham Steadman. Perhaps an even bigger c0ncern is that three of Ulster’s four tries came while the Blues were down to 14 men after Josh Turnbull was given a yellow for dangerous play. For too long discipline has been an issue for the Blues and once again it reared it’s ugly head here. If Cardiff are to have any real hope of improving their standing in the league table, they simply have to cut out the needless offences that invite the opposition to set up camp in their half and apply pressure.
The lack of discipline, however, is part of a wider, even more concerning issue for the capital city outfit: the reputation of the side. In the not so distant past opponents knew that if they wanted to pick up points against Cardiff they would need to be at the top of their game. This is no longer the case. In recent times the Blues defence has resembled an All-You-Eat-Buffet at the local Chinese. Despite a clear improvement in attitude and strategy this season, teams continue to pick up maximum points, meaning Cardiff need to score a minimum of 20 plus points to come away with anything to show for their efforts. Any team that plays against the Blues this season will be targeting maximum points as a result of this recent trend and, worryingly, it’s continuing this season.
The blame for the poor defence and run of four defeats on the bounce cannot be placed squarely on the players shoulders, some of whom are still teenagers taking their first steps in professional sport. Nor can the blame be thrown in the direction of coaches, the majority of whom are new to the job, still getting to know the players and will obviously need more time to get their vision across to a squad that has become accustomed to defeat. The reality is that, with the resources available to them, everyone involved is doing the best they can. There is, however, a worrying lack of depth in the squad and when you take away the international stars who are being given time to recover from their World Cup exploits, you are left with a team that is short on experience and, in some cases, the necessary skill levels to compete at this level.
That’s the negatives dealt with, time to look on the bright side (yes, there is one). First up, they picked up a losing bonus point. When Ulster picked up their fourth try early in the second half to lead 24-9, fears began to grow amongst Cardiff fans that the floodgates were about to open. What followed showed that, under Wilson, this group of players have developed more of a backbone and will not just lie down and succumb to superior opposition. Leading the way once again was the inspirational Josh Navidi, who bounced off two defenders to score in the corner and drag his team back in to the game. When the dreadlocked warrior was a surprise omission from the Welsh World Cup training squad many Blues fans were furious that their hero had once again been overlooked by Gatland and co. However, with Navidi setting the example to his teammates by never taking a backwards step in attack or defence, supporters should in fact rejoice that he is still available to them all year round!
The final score line of 24-17 in no way flattered Cardiff; they could, and probably should, have come away with more to show for their efforts. With the likes of Lloyd Williams, Gethin Jenkins and Sam Warburton due to return in the coming weeks along with new signings Rey Lee-Lo and Blaine Scully, the Blues selection options should become stronger and this again gives cause for hope.
They are now entering a crucial part of the season. With an away trip to Zebre next week followed by only their second home fixture of the season against reigning champions Glasgow, the Blues should be looking to pick up two much-needed victories. Anything less will mean failure and leave them stranded at the bottom of the table. Six defeats in a row is unthinkable for any side that has ambitions of grabbing one of the coveted European qualification sports. Yes, improved performances and an upturn in attitude are steps forward, but professional sport is all about results and now is the time for the Blues to deliver.
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