Cardiff Blues

Creation

Before the start of the 2003/04 season, Welsh rugby was organized according to the principle of the classic league pyramid, on top of which there were 9 professional clubs. A similar hierarchy is still used in the English Premier League and the French Top 14 . However, at that time it became obvious that Wales was not able to support the activities of so many clubs immediately due to financial difficulties ^[2] .

At the initiative of David Moffett, Welsh Rugby Union Chief Executive Officer, nine leading teams are Bridgend, Kairfilli, Cardiff, Abbu Vale, Llanelli, Neath, Newport, Pontypridd and Swansea - were involved in the creation of the Welsh system of regional clubs. It was agreed that Cardiff will be able to create a separate team, that is, unification with any of the eight other clubs is optional ^[3] . As a result, the Cardiff Blues brand was created, the opening ceremony of which took place on June 6, 2003.

2003/04

The Blues lost their first three games, Leicester Tigers , Northampton Saints (friendlies) and Glasgow ( Celtic League game). By the end of 2003, the team suffered 12 defeats and won only three times (“ Connaught ”, “ Lenster ” and “ Ospreyz ”). All victories were won by the “blue” at home. Increasingly, the demands for the resignation of head coach Day Young were heard ^[4] .

The victory over Ospreyz was achieved largely due to the actions of fireman Lee Ebdal ^[5] . A semi-professional player was recruited as a substitute for the 2003 World Cup . Ebdal made four attempts in that game, which was one of the best results for the new team. However, in the next home game against the Newport Gwent Dragons , the player was seriously injured.

In January, the team won two victories in the Heinken Cup : the British from Sale Sharks and the French from Biarritz were defeated. A temporary invitation to the team of former Wallabis player Matt Cockbane revived the team ^[6] , and his brief presence coincided with a series of six win-win matches. Only in March, the “blue” lost the “ Llanelli Scarlets ” (0: 6). The Blues ended the season as the worst Welsh team, winning just one meeting with another club from Wales. However, the team became the best in the league in terms of the number of attempts entered (73) ^[7] .

2004/05

The Blues finished ninth in the Celtic League and won just one match internationally. In November and January, rumors about Yang's resignation appeared again - then the team did not win for eight consecutive matches. After the loss of Stud France (15:38), rugby players left the field under the disapproving roar of the stands ^[8] .

An unsuccessful performance in the domestic championship left the club only one chance to break into the group stage of the Heineken Cup: it was necessary to beat the Italian team, which took third place in its championship. The Welsh won against Ariks Viadan with a score of 38: 9 ^[9] . This success was the club’s second guest victory of the season. The team’s performances diverged from the expectations of the club’s management, and Cardiff bosses developed a development strategy that was supposed to significantly improve the quality of the Blues game next season ^[10] .

2005/06

In the summer of 2005, the club’s transfer budget was expanded, which allowed Young to attract new players and rebuild the team. Former eighth All Blacks Xavier Rush has become one of the Blues' newcomers. In addition, the Welsh have acquired a new training base on the outskirts of Cardiff. Before that, rugby players had to prepare on public fields and in public gyms.

The draw of the group stage inspired optimism among the “blue” fans, because the Welsh were in the group with the Italian outsider Calvisano , who played poorly with the French Perpignan and the English Leeds Tykes . In the rugby community, many believed that the Blues could finally play in the Heineken Cup playoffs ^[11] .

The results, however, began to improve not instantly. In October, the team beat the Saracens (37:20), and this victory was one of the highlights of the generally depressing start of the season. On the other hand, before the match it was announced that New Zealand rugby legend John Lom would play for the Welsh for a while - he needed playing practice before the 2007 World Cup . Lomu was recovering from a kidney transplant operation ^[12] , but such a loud transfer nevertheless testified to the Blues' growing ambitions. The home debut of Lomu in the game with Calvisano brought together an almost complete stadium. The signing of a famous player was recognized as a highly successful marketing move ^[13] . In December, the quality of the team’s appearances increased: the Cardiff beat Ospreyz and Newport Gwent Dragons .

In January 2006, the Blues left the Heineken Cup after losing to Perpignan (3:21) and Leeds (3:48). These failures became part of a series of five defeats in a row, coinciding with the loss of traumatic Nicky Robinson. A weak European campaign forced the Blues management to announce “last warnings” ^{[14] to} rugby players who are not playing well enough ^[15] . And yet, at the end of the season, as in previous years, the team’s game gradually improved. In May, when the Welsh defeated Leicester (40:31), the Celtic League record was set in terms of the number of spectators: 15,327 fans of the game visited the Millennium Stadium . Cardiff took fourth place in the championship, becoming the strongest team in Wales.

2006/07

Before the new season, a series of transfers followed. The team was invited to the former fullback team of New Zealand Ben Blair. Several players from the region’s academy have been added to the main squad, including Chris Chekage and Dwayne Goodfield. The emergence of new young talents, among which Bradley Davis ^[16] and Tom James ^[17] should also be noted, strengthened the faith of Cardiff fans in the speedy accomplishments of rugby players ^[18] . London Wospers , Saracens and London Irish were defeated in the group stage of the Anglo-Welsh Cup. However, in the semifinal match, held on March 24, 2007 at the Millennium , the Cardiffs lost to the Ospreyz (10:27).

That season, the Welsh won their first Heineken Cup in France, beating the Bourgoin (13: 5). The next game by the “blue” failed: the English from the Leicester Tigers won with a score of 21:17, while the Cardiffs played 14 rugby players for a long time. The game at the Millennium was watched by 26,309 spectators, and this was a record of attendance at the Blues games in European competitions. The team lost the last chance to continue the fight in Europe after the defeat of the “ Manster ”.

The club played much more successfully in the home arena. The Blues rugby players took first place in the championship after a home victory over Lenster , but another Welsh club, Ospreyz, snatched the title from the Blues and won the next day. As a result, Cardiff finished in second place.

2007/08

In the summer of 2007, Gareth Thomas, Paul Tito and Jason Spice joined the team. The latter was supposed to replace the departed Mike Philips, who, according to some sources, received £ 180,000 a year under a new contract with Ospreyz ^[19] .

The Blues won the first two matches of the championship, defeating Osprey last year at home and beating Newport Gwent Dragons away a week later. The victory over the “osprey” extended the unbeaten home streak of the “blue” to sixteen matches ^[20] . In the next round, the series already included seventeen games, as the Cardiff beat the Glasgow home ^[21] . A week later, this outstanding series was interrupted by “Leinster”, who beat the Welsh with a score of 30:19 ^[22] . In response, the Blues rugby players won away at Manster , as a result of which they led the Celtic League standings - just the second time in history ^[23] . The third consecutive game against the Irish team - this time “ Connaught ” - ended with the victory of the “blue” (30:16). It was in the game against Connaught for the Blues that Gareth Thomas made his debut, replacing Reese Williams in the last 30 minutes of the match>. At the end of the season, Cardiff won silver championship medals again.

The Anglo-Welsh Cup began for the Blues with a home win over Sale Sharks (32:15), supplemented by a bonus point. In the first half hour, Cardiff players chalked up four attempts, the author of two of them was Gareth Thomas ^[24] . In the next round, the Welsh lost to the Leicester tigers (20:42). The last match of the group stage against “ Bata ” completed the annual unbeaten run of the English. Cardiff won (6:14), but this victory did not make sense from a strategic point of view, since the Leicester got the ticket to the next round, gaining bonus points in all games of the group stage.

The Blues won the first match of the Heineken Cup against Bristol (34:18). The second game against the Harlequins ended in peace (13:13). In December, the Cardiff got a bonus point for a small loss from Stud France (6:12) in Paris, with the Welsh team returning the match (31:21). Then the “blue” houses beat the “Harlequins” (23:12) and defeated the “Bristol” at a party (17: 0). The Welsh club made it to the playoffs as the fifth strongest team in the tournament. On April 6, the 1/4 finals of the cup took place, in which the Blues and Toulouse met. The French, who had the advantage of a home stadium, won (41:17) and knocked out the British from among the contenders for the main European trophy.

2008/09

In the summer of 2008, the Blues did not hold high-profile transfers. The team was supplemented by Seri Sweeney, Aled Bru and Richard Mastow. The seven rugby players left Cardiff, among them: Mark Stcherbayna, Robert Sidoli, Nick MacLeod, James Goode, Dwayne Goodfield, Tom Riley and Reese Schellard. Soon, Aled Bru went to Newport on loan.

The Blues finished sixth in the Kiel League, winning eight meetings and losing in nine. In many ways, the decline in performance in the domestic championship is due to the concentration of players in matches of the Heineken Cup and the Anglo-Welsh Cup. It was in the Anglo-Welsh Cup that the “blues” became the only team that did not suffer a single defeat. The team led their group and beat Northampton in the semifinals. The decisive match, held at the Twickenham Stadium, brought the Welsh team a victory over Gloucester (50:12).

The Blues opened the European season with a guest victory over Calvisano (56:20), which was valued at one bonus point ^[25] . Then followed the victory over Gloucester (37:24), which also replenished the Welsh score with a bonus point. The match was held at the Millennium Arena and gathered 27,114 fans. This indicator was a record for the team in the group stage of the Heineken Cup ^{[26] [27]} . Later, the Welsh club twice beat the French Biarritz (21:17 at home, 10: 6 away) ^{[28] [29]} .

After the New Year break, Cardiff again defeated Gloucester (16:12), this time in England. A positive result was achieved despite the removal of the “blue” player Tom James, who violated the rules in conjunction with the hosts' hooker Olivier Azam ^[30] . The final game of the group stage against Calvisano brought the Blues another victory with a bonus point (62:20). Cardiff became the only undefeated group stage club, and received the first number at the playoff draw to guarantee a performance in the home quarterfinals ^[31] .

The game of the quarter finals against the eighth seeded Frenchmen from Toulouse, who were three-time winners of the cup, was again held at Millennium. Another attendance record was set, this time reaching 36,778 spectators. Both teams played in a defensive style, but luck smiled “blue” (9: 6) ^[32] . A semifinal against the Leicester Tigers was also held in the main arena of Wales . Six minutes before the end of regular time, the Welsh were significantly inferior (12:26), but by the end of the second half, the situation had been leveled (26:26). 20 minutes of extra time passed without effective action, and the fate of the game was to be decided in a penalty shootout. The English rugby players (7: 6) were more successful in this competition, having won after the misses of the Blues players Tom James and Martin Williams ^[33] .

2009/10

With the loss of Nicky and James Robinson, Jason Spice and Ross Johnson, the "Blues" were significantly weakened. The club has signed Sam Norton-Knight of Huarataz , Gareth Cooper of Gloucester , and Gavin Ivans of Scarlets . In November, Casey Laulal of Canterbury Crusaders joined the squad.

The club finished fifth in the Celtic League, one point behind the playoffs. On the other hand, the team secured the right to play in the Heineken Cup 2010/11, as it became the second best team in Wales. The performances in the 2009/10 cup were completed after the group stage. “Blues” took the second place in the group (after “Toulouse”), without entering into the number of two strongest teams that took second places. But in view of the change in qualification rules in European tournaments, which now allowed the continuation of the European Cup campaign for the weak second teams, Cardiff continued to play in the European Challenge Cup . In the quarterfinals, the Welsh defeated the Newcastle Falcons (55:20) and with much greater effort beat the London Wosps in the 1/2 finals (18:15). In the decisive match, which took place on May 23 at the Velodrome stadium, Cardiff beat the French Toulon (28:21) and became the first club in Wales to win the European trophy ^[34] .

2010/11

Following Sam Norton-Knight’s unsuccessful transfer to Sanyo Wild Knights , the Blues signed Dan Parks from Glasgow Warriors and the Scottish national team . In addition, the team signed a new contract with Xavier Rush, who had previously announced his intention to move to Ulster . Despite the validity of an already signed agreement with the Irish club, Rush managed to resolve the situation and continue playing for Cardiff.

Another player from New Zealand, Michael Paterson, joined the Hurricanes Super Rugby club. The Blues team also replenished with three Welshs who had previously played in England: Bryn Griffiths and Tom Davis came to the club from Doncaster Knights , and Tom Brown arrived at the location of Cardiff from London Welch .

Andy Powell left the team, lost his place in the team due to unsportsmanlike reasons, Robin Sowden-Taylor and Scott Morgan moved to Newport Gwent Dragons, and Day Flenagan continued his career at Ospreyz.

Current squad

Season 2012/13.

British and Irish Lions Players

•   Gethin Jenkins
•   Andy Powell
•   Jamie Roberts
•   Martin williams
•   Lee Halfpenny
•   Tom Shanklin

Other famous players

•   Matt Cockbane
•   Manoa Wosawai
•   Dan bow
•   Chris Dikomidis
•   John Lomu
•   Grzegorz Katsala
•   Court scubert
•   Taufa'ao Filise
•   Ben evans
•   John Yepp
•   Craig Quinnell
•   Robert Sidoli
•   T. Reese Thomas
•   Justin Harris
•   Dan parks
•   Peter Muller

Celtic League / Pro12

* Including 2 "free weekends", which are estimated at four points each.

Celtic Cup

Heineken Cup

Anglo-Welsh Cup

• Anglo-Welsh Cup : 2008/09
• European Challenge Cup : 2009/10

• Cardiff Blues Official Website
• Official site of RK “Cardiff”