Blues development system bearing fruit

Posted on Jan 25, 2013

The starting XV of last Saturday’s team that recorded a 26-14 Heineken Cup win over Sale Sharks all came through the Blues Academy system

In the backs youngsters such as in-form centre Owen Williams, international winger Harry Robinson and young halfbacks Rhys Patchell and Lewis Jones only graduated from the Blues Academy recently. While Wales and Lions centre Jamie Roberts was one of the first crop to come through the Blues Academy.

Although Alex Cuthbert started playing rugby in Hartpury College in Gloucestershire, he was picked up at 18 years-of–age, by the Blues. The same is true of Full Back Leigh Halfpenny. He was released by the Ospreys at 18 and began his rugby education in the Blues Academy before going on to win honours with Wales and the Lions.

In the forwards, the front row of Sam Hobbs, Rhys Williams and Scott Andrews are all from the north of the region. Second row forwards James Down and Lou Reed have both been in the Welsh squad but graduated through the Blues age grade and academy system, before Reed took up a contract with the Scarlets.

In the back row Josh Navidi originally comes from the Ospreys region but was picked up by the Blues at 18, as was Andries Pretorius. The Number 8 is originally from South Africa but moved to the UK to study at Hartpury College before joining the Blues. Sam Warburton was born and raised in Cardiff and played age grade rugby for the region before graduating from the region and going on to captain his country.

The team shows that the system is working. Whether players have come through the system from an early age, or have been picked up from other regions academies the Blues are turning them into a team that can compete on the European stage and qualify to play for Wales.

WRU Performance Manager – Cardiff Blues, Richard Hodges, said,

"No one can say the Blues don’t develop and promote from within."

“A lot of work has gone in along the way by a lot of people and to have such a home grown squad is fantastic for those coming through the system now."

“They know that if they keep their head down and work hard they will have a shot at playing for their home region."

“This Sunday sees the U18s in their 5th consecutive final, they are unbeaten this season yet we all know the Scarlets will be a tough nut to crack."

“Yes the bigger picture is player development through the pathway but for 80 minutes on Sunday it will be about trying to win another final."

Cardiff Blues Director of Rugby, Phil Davies, said,

“The match against the Sale Sharks was a game we were able to field a full Welsh qualified team.”

“It shows that our Academy system is working well as it has done for a number of years.”

“It has produced some of the best players in Europe with the likes of Jamie Roberts, Alex Cuthbert and Leigh Halfpenny.”

“There is a new crop of youngsters who have come through which is fantastic and it’s exciting to see these young players develop.”

“From a personal view, I worked with a number of these players when I was coaching Wales Under 20 level.”

“Scott Andrews captained the side with Josh Navidi and Owen Williams also players who stood out.”

“We have an excellent development system at the Blues but it’s not only for the players.”

“Justin Burnell, Gethin Watts and now Richard Hodges have all done great work and the Academy has also developed some good coaches with Dale McIntosh, Lee Jarvis and Gareth Baber all having worked with our Academy.”

“When I was at Leeds we tried to have a 80/20 ratio where 80% of our players were home-grown, supplemented with 20% overseas players who brought something different to the squad.”

“If you can get around 80% of your squad from the local area it helps with team split and build local interest from around the community.”

“I feel it’s important that rugby teams are deep rooted in their community, it gives people a pride in their team and a sense of belonging as they can relate to the players.”

Talking ahead of the Age Grade Under 18 final this Sunday when the Blues take on the Scarlets at St Helens, Davies added,

“It’s a fantastic achievement for these youngsters to reach the final.”

“I speak on a regular basis to Richard Hodges who is our Academy manager.”

“The average age of our senior squad is 23 and then the Academy develops the next generation of players.”

“We have identified 75 players that we are developing so we will have a strong nucleus of players.”

“The likes of Luke Hamilton, Kristian Dacey and Macauley Cook are already coming through and have gained Heineken Cup experience at a very young age, which will only benefit us.”

“We are fortunate to have good people working in our community and Academy system who are developing these players and I wish the youngsters the best of luck for Sunday.”

Under 18’s Final

Cardiff Blues v Scarlets

Sunday 27 January 2.30pm kick off St Helens, Swansea

15 Aled Summerhill 14 Ollie Smyth 13 Garin Smith (vc) 12 Sam Edwards 11 Jack Huntley 10 Sam Withers 9 Shaun Clarke

1 Gus Mc Pherson 2 Liam Belcher 3 Dillon Lewis 4 Michael Snook 5 Ben Murphy 6 James Sheeky (c) 7 Matthew Marley 8 Ollie Hitchings

16 Rob Lewi 17 Ryan Spriggs 18 Kieron Belmont 19 Louie Burley 20 Bradley Llewellyn 21 Tom Williams 22 Tom McAloon 23 James Whittingham

Halfpenny back for Cardiff Blues side to face Toulon

Posted on Jan 11, 2013

Cardiff Blues have made four changes for their Round 5 Heineken Cup match against Toulon

There are three changes in the backs with Leigh Halfpenny starting at Full Back in place of Jason Tovey. Gavin Evans has recovered from a back injury and Alex Cuthbert from a facial injury to start in the back line in place of Owen Williams and Richard Smith.

There is only one change in the forwards with James Down in instead of Bradley Davies who remains at home with his partner, who is expected to give birth to their first child over the weekend.

Speaking ahead of the match, Cardiff Blues Director of Rugby Phil Davies said,

“Over the last six weeks there have been a few key moments for me. Montpellier away, although we lost, we put some good things together and our players were clapped off the field at the end of the game, I think that was a boost for their confidence.”

“Also our performance against the Dragons saw us able to control the game and close the game out. We stole a few key line-outs and our defensive line was superb. We kept our discipline and organization to get over the line.”

“Munster was another one, you could see the players thinking their way through the game. Watching it on TV wasn’t pleasant but you could see the way they managed that game, putting into practice how to control different game scenarios, which has been a huge focal point for us this season.”

“We have a lot of experiences thrown at the young group and they have coped with it well. Now we just need to keep that game management going and fine-tune the details within the plays to become more effective.”

“Physically we are going into the Toulon match in the best shape we have been in as a group. The progress we have made from when we started back in June is quite staggering. I am confident, especially after the good results of the last few games that we are in the best place to be going out to face the Top 14 side.”

“We need to go out there and make sure we front up physically and when we have the ball we get over the gain line.”

Although the Blues cannot qualify for the quarter final of the Heineken Cup, the Round 5 and 6 matches will still have an impact on the seedings for next season. 

“It goes without saying that we want to stay in the top tier but we just need to keep working hard and if we can get the results to keep us up then that’s fantastic.”

“The progression is going in the right direction and if we can keep churning out results it will bring everyone more confidence.”

“It’s a big team effort here; Gareth and Xavier did a great job at the weekend. We have been working hard all year, everything is following on and we are building a bit of momentum.”

“The longer we have been working on particular things the better we are becoming. Our tackling technique is getting better and the system itself is constantly improving. The last few games have shown the improvement but it will be a big test for us this weekend.”

“We will change a few things around for Toulon as there are a few circumstances we cannot control. It will be a challenge for us but if we can believe that we can do it then that’s half the battle.”

RC Toulon v Cardiff Blues

Saturday 12 January 2:35pm kick off (local time)

Team v Toulon 15. Leigh Halfpenny  14. Alex Cuthbert  13. Gavin Evans 12. Jamie Roberts  11. Harry Robinson 10. Rhys Patchell 9. Lewis Jones

8. Robin Copeland  7. Sam Warburton 6. Josh Navidi (c ) 5. Lou Reed  4. James Down  3. Beniot Bourrust  2. Rhys Williams 1. Sam Hobbs

16. Kristian Dacey  17. Nathan Trevett  18. Scott Andrews  19. Macauley Cook 20. Luke Hamilton 21 Gareth Davies  22. Ceri Sweeney  23. Owen Williams

Halfpenny reaches points milestone–team announced

Posted on Jun 21, 2012

Leigh Halfpenny’s 13-point haul last week means he has broken into the top 10 list of all-time points scorers in Welsh international rugby. The Blues full back and wing goes straight in at number eight ahead of 1970s fly half Phil Bennett with 168 points in just 34 internationals.

He now needs 33 points to progress above Gareth Thomas who is in seventh, but is some way off his mentor and kicking coach Neil Jenkins, who heads the list with 1,049 points.

Meanwhile, Wales field an unchanged side for the third Test of their Australian tour at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday (kick-off 3.05pm local time).

The same starting XV which led the Wallabies for the majority of the match in Melbourne last weekend – only to be denied by the last-minute penalty which made the home side 25-23 victors – has been handed a repeat chance to notch up Wales’ first victory on Australian soil since 1969.

The replacements’ bench shows one change with Scarlets hooker Ken Owens, who started the first Test two weeks ago in Brisbane, coming in to replace Ospreys front rower Richard Hibbard, who misses out on this occasion.

“We know what we have to do to beat Australia, but there is a difference between knowing how to win and achieving that aim,” said Wales caretaker head coach Rob Howley.

“This Wales team was within around 30 seconds of beating the Wallabies on their home patch for the first time in 43 years, the challenge now is to go one better than that and make sure we are ahead on the scoreboard, not just when the hooter goes, but when the game finishes this weekend.

“The players can take some credit for the way they played for the large part of the match on Saturday, but that will be scant consolation if we don’t come home with a win in this Series.

“We have risen to our highest position (4th) in the IRB World rankings because of our performances so far this season, which can have positive repercussions for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but now we want to stay there and that means coming away with the spoils on Saturday afternoon.”

Wales’ leading points scorers (all time):Neil Jenkins 1,049, Stephen Jones 917, James Hook 346, Paul Thorburn 304, Shane Williams 290, Arwel Thomas 211, Gareth Thomas 200, Leigh Halfpenny 168, Phil Bennett 166, Ieuan Evans 157

WALES: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Ashley Beck, George North; Rhys Priestland, Mike Phillips; Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees, Adam Jones, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton (Captain), Ryan Jones

REPLACEMENTS: Ken Owens, Paul James, Luke Charteris, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb, James Hook, Scott Williams

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Wales call up Rhys Webb for injured Lloyd Williams

Posted on Mar 9, 2012

Rhys Webb will replace Lloyd Williams on the replacements bench for Wales’ RBS 6 Nations clash with Italy at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday (Kick-off 2.30pm).

Ospreys scrum-half Webb was named in the pre-tournament training camp which travelled to Gdansk, Poland, at the end of January, but has yet to make his international debut. Blues scrum-half Williams has withdrawn from the game due to a thigh strain, which he picked up this week during Welsh preparations at the WRU National Centre of Excellence at the Vale Resort, Hensol.

Webb, 23, is now in his fifth season at the Ospreys, having cut his teeth in domestic rugby at Bridgend Athletic in the WRU National Leagues. He won the Reebok Regional Championship trophy with the Ospreys U18 during the 2005-2006 season and was a losing finalist with the Ospreys U20 during the 2006-2007 season.

He also played for Wales U18 in the 2005-2006 U18 Home Four Nations Championship and was a member of the 2006-2007 Wales U19 set up for the IRB U19 World Championships, playing alongside Sam Warburton, Leigh Halfpenny and Ryan Bevington. He then joined the same trio at the Junior World Championships at Under 20 level the next year when the tournament was hosted by Wales. The talented Ospreys scrum half was also a member of the Wales World Sevens Cup winning squad in Dubai in 2009.

Although tickets for the Azzurri’s visit to Cardiff are still selling in their hundreds on a daily basis, with 74,500 seats the Millennium Stadium still has capacity. Tickets are available online at wru.co.uk and ticketlineuk.com or from the telephone hotline 02920 230130.

WALES: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North; Rhys Priestland, Michael Phillips; Gethin Jenkins (C), Matthew Rees, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Ian Evans, Dan Lydiate, Justin Tipuric, Toby Faletau

REPLACEMENTS: Ken Owens, Paul James, Luke Charteris, Ryan Jones, Rhys Webb, James Hook, Scott Williams

Wales injury update – Henson out for six weeks

Posted on Aug 15, 2011

Gavin Henson has undergone corrective surgery after dislocating a bone in his right wrist and will now be ruled out of action for a period of six to eight weeks.

The injury means Henson will miss the start of the Rugby World Cup tournament but he will remain in the care of the Wales national squad medical staff in order to ensure he returns to fitness at the earliest opportunity, in case the scenario arises in which he is called upon later in the competition.

Rhys Priestland, who also left the field during Wales’ 19-9 victory over England at the Millennium Stadium yesterday, has sustained an injury to his left thigh and will be re-assessed on Monday.

Both Lee Byrne and Leigh Halfpenny have been declared fully fit and in contention for selection against Argentina in Cardiff next Saturday, in the final warm-up match of the summer before the squad leaves for RWC 2011 in New Zealand.

Stephen Jones, Ryan Jones and Gethin Jenkins, who all have calf problems, will join Priestland in reporting for injury assessment on Monday morning when further details about their progress will be established.  Matthew Rees, who has a neck problem, is under continuous assessment with nothing further to report on his progress at the present time.

“Gavin underwent surgery this morning (Sunday) at the Vale hospital, to correct the dislocation to a bone in his right wrist,” said national medical performance manager Prav Mathema.

“He has been given a return to play time of six to eight weeks which, whilst ruling him out of selection for the initial RWC squad, could see him available to the coaches whilst we are still in the Pool stages of the tournament.

“With that fact in mind Gavin will remain under the care of the Wales national squad medical staff in order to ensure that he returns to fitness at the earliest opportunity in case the coaches need to call him out to New Zealand for any reason.

“Both Lee Byrne (knee) and Leigh Halfpenny (ankle) have been declared fully fit and available for selection next week against the Pumas.

“Stephen Jones, Ryan Jones, Gethin Jenkins and Rhys Priestland will all be re-assessed on Monday morning when a further report on their progress will be made available.”