Old stagers must shine in Heineken Cup spotlight

Jan 11 2008 by Delme Parfitt, South Wales Echo

IT was not without significance that when Dai Young addressed the media ahead of the Heineken Cup clash with Harlequins this week, he did so flanked by two of his most senior lieutenants.

Gethin Jenkins and Martyn Williams sat beside the head coach, almost as if a show of strength was required, a reassertion of authority after a bout of Christmas jitters that harked back to far bleaker times at the Arms Park.

Young was asked the extent of his worry after the dismal 11-10 defeat to Edinburgh last Friday. The question clearly took him aback.

“We’re still in a far stronger position than we used to be,” he replied, with a somewhat quizzical look.

In other words, just because there have been one or two setbacks in the Celtic programme, another root and branch Cardiff Blues inquest is the last thing we need. Quite right too.

The Blues – and their rousing 31-21 victory against Stade Francais a month ago proves it more than anything – are nothing like the under-resourced and spineless outfit that they were in the early days of regional rugby.

The reserve of overseas and homegrown quality they now have running through the squad wouldn’t permit them to be.

But that does nothing to dilute the notion that the next nine days or so will effectively decide which side of the barrier between 2007-08 success and failure they land.

Which is why Young has appealed to seniority as the most reliable port during what has developed into, not quite a storm, but a mid-winter depression.

In boating parlance, the Blues are now in sight of land on this particular Heineken voyage. Now they just need the most experienced members of their crew to steer them into harbour.

Young was surprisingly caustic about what he saw as the shortcomings of his more established stars after they struggled to beat the Dragons 11-6 on Boxing Day.

His comments privately annoyed some of his charges, and yet the coach has had no compunction in once again resting the responsibility on the shoulders of the likes of Williams, Jenkins, Shanklin and Thomas – Alfie that is.

And in doing so, Young is spot on.

The Welsh regional game found itself back in the dock over the festive period, the players accused of serving up unseasonably poor fayre throughout a series of sterile derby encounters.

Poor skills and a lack of intensity were the main gripes, unacceptable many argued from individuals hoping to be integral pieces of Warren Gatland’s assault on the Six Nations.

Well, the new national coach will be at the Arms Park tonight to see several who he hopes will be key components of his jigsaw face up a challenge from Harlequins – and it’s up to them to deliver, it’s up to them to prove the critics wrong on the best stage outside of the Test environment.

The Blues are stymied by a lack of experience and authority at fly-half, without being in any way disrespectful to Nick Macleod.

Yet with a first ever qualification to the Heineken knockout stages at stake they should easily have enough about them to get the job done against an out of form visiting team with only pride to play for.

On home turf, with a large and vocal crowd behind them, there are no excuses for Young’s men failing.

Assuming they do not, and I fully expect that to be the case, Bristol will then represent the final hurdle – and what a considerable one it will be.

All the old doubts about Cardiff teams being able to deliver when it matters most –- especially on the road – are certain to surface in the build up.

Which is why the Blues must not fail if they want us to believe that they really have embarked on a new era.

Several players have talked about there being a completely different mentality about the present squad and the above quote from Young echoes that theme.

But to give it genuine credence the Blues must now finish what they have started in Europe’s premier competition, even accounting for the problems they have at number 10.

If they can’t, then only a scramble for Magners League superiority lies ahead and given the low esteem that competition is held in there would be little capital on offer there.

The Blues won’t win the Heineken Cup. For all the strides they have made they just aren’t ready to scale heights like that yet, even if there are those who talk about “anything happening” in one-off matches.

Instead it’s more likely to be a case of us all having some fun seeing them go further than ever before but with no open top bus parade in through the centre of the city come next May. Despair not though.

Getting out of their pool would on its own be a major statement of progress for the region, greater than would be a Magners League championship because the quality and approach of the opposition in the European tournament is stratospheric by comparison.

And it’s not as if the supporters haven’t waited long enough.

To achieve the above, Jenkins, Williams, Shanklin, and Thomas among others, have to lead from the front tonight and show they have the bottle to emerge from their Christmas wobble and come good when the stakes are at their highest.

There have already been murmurings that Stade Francais was a fortunate one-off.

It would make a heartening change for the Blues to silence them over the final two rounds of Pool Three in the most emphatic style.

delme.parfitt@mediawales.co.uk