Double delight beckons for Wales’ regions

Jan 17 2008 by Simon Thomas, Western Mail

NOT since 2001 – when Cardiff and Swansea were both quarter-finalists – have two Welsh teams made it through to the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup.

Since then, European success stories have been few and far between, with the regional era having been a pretty barren one for Wales.

But now that could be about to change.

As we enter the final round of group matches, both the Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys are just one win away from joining each other in the last eight.

If Dai Young’s Blues avoid defeat to Bristol at the Memorial Stadium on Sunday, they will top Pool 3, while they could even go through with a losing bonus point depending how Stade Francais fare against Harlequins.

And the star-studded Ospreys know that a victory out in Bourgoin on the same day would see them progress from Pool 2, most likely as one of two best runners-up.

If both teams were to go through, it would be a timely boost for Welsh rugby ahead of the Six Nations, which kicks off in just over two weeks’ time.

And, as far as Ospreys coach Lyn Jones is concerned, it’s proof that the often much-maligned regional concept is working.

He points to the fact that 18,000 people watched his team beat group leaders Gloucester at the Liberty Stadium last Saturday and says anyone who promotes a return to the old days of club rugby is daft.

“When I look back and reflect about where Welsh rugby was four or five years ago, I was coaching Neath and you had Swansea, Llanelli and Pontypridd all involved in European rugby and we were a shambles,” he said.

“For people to talk about going back to that is just ludicrous. The professional game has moved forward at such a rate.

“You saw that last Saturday night where you had nearly 20,000 people coming to watch the best in Glamorgan taking on the best side in England. To have those kind of stakes is fantastic and it was a great game.

“We totally closed out the leaders of the Guinness Premiership.

“They just weren’t in the game. We were by far the better side right throughout the match.

“It was a big feather in the cap and it shows we are going in the right direction.”

The Ospreys and the Blues haven’t always seen eye to eye in the past, but they are to be found wishing each other the best as they head towards their day of destiny, with the greater good of Welsh rugby holding sway.

“It would be fantastic if the Blues and ourselves were to qualify,” said Jones.

“It would be a big plus for Welsh rugby.

“It would be great if we could get two teams through and it’s all to play for.”

Jones’ counterpart Young strikes a similar chord as he looks ahead to a momentous weekend of regional rugby.

“If we can get through it would be fantastic and it would be great if the Ospreys could as well,” he said.

“It would bode well for Welsh rugby if we both made it to the last eight.

“Over the Christmas period we were all back to the doom and gloom, but I didn’t think any of us were as bad as it looked.”

Young continued, “It’s about one more good performance for the Ospreys and for us to go through. Come Monday, if Wales has got two quarter-finalists it will be great.

“We are further down the track with regional rugby now and things are starting to come together with the academy players coming through.

“We are getting closer every year and getting stronger.”

Of course, such optimism will quickly be punctured if both our Heineken hopefuls bomb out this weekend.

They are both fully aware that the job is far from done yet, with testing road trips ahead of them.

With the Ospreys – now in their fifth season of European rugby – yet to win out in France, Jones is not about to take the journey to Bourgoin’s Stade Pierre Rajon lightly.

“We all spoke after the Gloucester game about having only done half a job and about what’s expected next,” he said.

“If we don’t win on Sunday, then last weekend will have been a waste of time.

“We’ve played ourselves into a position where all we need to do now is go to France and win a game of rugby.

“It sounds very easy, but I can tell you in practice it’s very difficult. The players realise how tough its going to be. French teams are very hard to play against, especially on their own patch.

“It was a good night for us last Saturday.

“There were a lot of positives and we were delighted with the performance.

“But this will be a different challenge. That’s the beauty of rugby union.

“I’ve always said that if you are going to do well in European rugby, you have to go to France and win somewhere along the line and this is our opportunity. We will look forward to the challenge.”

As for the Blues, it’s a case of producing one last big performance to cap a Heineken campaign that has seen them exceed expectations.

“It’s a massive game,” admitted Young.

“Bristol will probably start as favourites being at home and we know how tough it’s going to be, but we are confident we can go there and get the result.

“We are happy where we are. We’ve got one more big hurdle and we’ve just got to make sure we get over that.

“I think we are good enough to do it.

“All you can ask is to have your destiny in your hands going into your last game – and that’s the position we find ourselves in.”

The Blues’ group is the most competitive of the six going into the final weekend, with Stade Francais and Bristol also still in with a shout of reaching the quarter-finals.

Elsewhere, London Irish, Gloucester, Saracens and Toulouse look odds-on to make the last eight, while Perpignan and the Ospreys are the favourites to claim the two best runners-up spots.

It’s anyone’s guess what will happen in Pool 5, where the last two winners of the competition – Munster and Wasps – meet at Thomond Park on Saturday evening with a quarter-final spot the prize on offer. In terms of the competition as a whole, that’s probably the game of the weekend. But, as far as Welsh rugby is concerned, it’s all about “super Sunday” and, hopefully, a tale of double delight.