Cardiff Blues Season Thread (Toulon fall in Cardiff)

[wales606]

First topic message reminder :

Keeping organised the ins and outs at the Blues leading into next season.

New Signing
Paetru Tamba (during the season)
Filo Paulo - North Harbour (confirmed)
Matthew Rees (confirmed)
Liam Davies (confirmed - until end of season)
Gethin Jenkins (confirmed)
Miles Normandale (confirmed)
Rhys Gill - Saracens (rumoured) Unlikely
Craig Mitchell - Exeter (rumoured) Unlikely
Adam Warren - Scarlets (rumoured)
Dan Lydiate - Dragons (mentioned) (rumoured)
Scott Williams - Scarlets (rumoured)
James Hook (rumoured - again)
Rodney So’oialo - Honda Heat (rumoured)
Aled Summerhill - Blues Academy
Ben Roach - Blues Academy
Ellis Jenkins - Blues Academy
Tom Pascoe - Blues Academy
Will Thomas - Blues Academy

Departures (all confirmed)
Jamie Roberts - Racing Metro
Ceri Sweeney - Exeter Chiefs
Tom James - Exeter Chiefs
Michael Paterson - Sale Sharks
Jason Tovey - Newport Gwent Dragons
Campese Ma'afu - Nottingham
Ryan Harford - Cardiff RFC
Nathan Trevett - London Welsh
Matthew Screech - Newport Gwent Dragons
Darren Harries - Scarlets
Jake Cooper Wooley - London Wasps
Cory Hill - Cornish Pirates
Petru Tamba - Unattached
Andi Kyriacou - Retired
Xavier Rush


Re-Signings
Alex Cuthbert (3 years)
Scott Andrews (2 years)
Josh Navidi (3 year)
James Down (unknown)
Andreus Pretorious (can't find the article...)
Marc Breeze (unknown)
Lewis Jones (unknown)
Lloyd Williams (3 years)
Tom Williams (3 years)
Rhys Patchell (3 years)
Sam Hobbs (?3 years?)
Rhys Williams (?3 years?)
Tom Davies (?3 years?)
Richard Smith (2 years)

[Mickado]

Congrats to the Blues, massive result. Love to see Toulon getting beaten, but particularly love to see Rabo team doing the damage.

[Comfort]

Corey Allen, Owen Williams, take a bow. What a potential centre partnership we've got brewing.

Borrust showed why he should be the starting TH, he was bought here as a scrummaging prop, let him scrummage.

Breeze showed how poor Rees has been since hes joined (imo).

Brad Davies/Geth/Copeland were excellant. If Copeland isnt starting regularly more so after that game there is no explaining the election policy at the region. Pretorius to be considered a bulkier,less mobile 6 when he plays, not an 8.

Navidi and Warburton put themselves about everywhere as flankers should.

Ref was terrible I thought, some strange decisions and not giving the TMO any chance to not penalise Halfpenny when it clearly had no affect on the play at a crucial time was the final straw for me.

Unrecognisable from the first 40 at Exeter, its crazy what bringing in a competent coach (even for a week) can do, I saw players make tackles, and then get up and want to make more, and I saw a hint of a defensive structure.  

[TJ]

Sorry but it was a clear foul by halfpenny - worth the penalty but nothing more. correct decision.

[Comfort]

a clear foul? I couldnt disagree more! I dont think anyone in the pub saw it as such either. admittedly, I may be a little biased  

[TJ]

Just a tad.   Halfpenny made the tackle after the ball was kicked - he took another step to the attacking player and had enough time to pull out more than he did. The toulon player milked it for sure. Put it this way - if it had been the other way round would you have been shouting for a pen? would you have been disappointed if it had not been given? It was only a foul - no yellow, no penalty try is correct but ha'penny did block him when he could have made more effort not to

[Comfort]

I thought Halfpenny made no real effort to make the tackle, rather that he stood up out of the tackle but the Toulon player still ran into him (ignoring the opportunity to arch his run out of Halfpennys way) and that to me is fine, Halfpenny doesnt have to get out of his way. But it was given and nothing came of it, but there was no way anyone was reaching that chip, which I thought had to be taken into account too.

Of course, had the tables been flipped I would have been slating the cheating French and demanding a penalty try and a red card, naturally.  

To be honest Im still not sure what happened or how we got the win, the turnaround in performance from the first 40 at Exeter couldnt have been more stark.

[Guest]

It was a penalty but it wasn't cynical play, and it was no way a penalty try.

[Luckless Pedestrian]

Turnaround in performance, Comfort, or simply in result?

[TJ]

Of course, had the tables been flipped I would have been slating the cheating French and demanding a penalty try and a red card, naturally. Very Happy

Nice one.

How did Blues win? I just watched the game again. they won by adapting to the conditions better, by playing the territitorial game better, winning the kicking battle and by denying the Toulon midfield any space at all - how many line breaks did Toulon make? How likely did they look to score a try? None and not much in my view.

Blues were hungry and hurting, Toulon looked complacent and lacked creativity.

a good win and well deserved - it was not a steal. Blues were the better side - just.

[Guest]

I think maybe Toulon might have disrepected the Blues a bit, possibly rightly as after last we were low on confidence. Maybe they thought they were going to score tries at will like they did against Glasgow.

[Comfort]

LP, in both.

Dont get me wrong, the Blues weren't scintilating and there were still basic errors in their play, but a lot less than the last few weekends. They looked hungry and coherrent in defence, the centre pairing was excellent in defence and both showed their worth going forward.

It was a game where they stayed in touch on the scoreboard and you could see them grow in confidence with every 10 minutes that passed. To be honest, I think the wake up call came at Exeter at half-time, the players just seemed hungrier than they have done most of the season.

[Luckless Pedestrian]

The Exeter game could turn out to have been a blessing in disguise, to coin a phrase. The commitment was there on Sunday, no question.

[Comfort]

Absolutely, although it escapes me why being the first team to lose (at home no less) to Zebre wouldnt have been the wake up call that was needed, they are simply a poor side by their competitions standard.

We'll see what the chief can do in his role as defense coach, its probably the best role we could have given him (bar replacing Phil Davies), to say the Blues defense was lacklustre before would be an understatement.

I dont think this will be a big turning point, but I think its shown that the Blues have the quality to compete when the selection allows it and that will have given the squad confidence in themselves hopefully.

Oh, and hopefully we'll now start seeing some common sense selections at 3 and 8 at least.....

[TJ]

Zebre are much improved from last year and there no longer is a huge gulf in class

[wales606]

Bradley Davies linked with Leicester, Gloucester and Saracens in the rugby paper this weekend. Out of contract this summer.

That would be a huge, huge blow - especially with the leadership role he has taken up from Tito

[wales606]

Apparently we are taking up too much space,

New thread started here

https://www.606v2.com/t48999-cardiff-blues-season-thread-2-away-to-ulster#2346593

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