Blues' Magners hopes scuppered

Mar 24 2008 John Scott, South Wales Echo

WITH the Grand Slam celebrations now calming down it has been interesting to see the differing attitudes of the Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys towards their international players.

Dai Young chose to rest his Wales trio of Martyn Williams, Tom Shanklin and Gethin Jenkins for their must-win Magners League match against Llanelli Scarlets, while Lyn Jones included 12 of his Grand Slam players for the EDF Energy cup semi-final against Saracens.

The result? The Blues league title hopes have all but disappeared with the Scarlets defeat, while the Ospreys march on to another Twickenham final.

I always find it strange when coaches talk about resting players. Playing rugby week in week out is what the top stars do and I am a firm believer that if they are fit, they play.

I can’t believe why a fit professional can’t play 30 games a season and someone like Martyn Williams has shown he does not need a rest.

You have to be winning games to maintain success. If you are playing poorly like the Blues did against the Scarlets you get out of the winning habit.

They have to go to Toulouse in a couple of weeks for a really tough game so where better to go than the Scarlets to test yourself with a full-strength side?

And then you have the people bemoaning the Magners League with sides fielding second-rate outfits and that is where the stigma comes from.

The Blues’ downfall at Stradey Park was their defence and when the coach criticises these frailties, you know it has been a poor performance.

Especially in the light of the standards that have been set with the national team under Shaun Edwards.

You don’t win games unless your defence is tight and at least the Ospreys achieved this against Saracens, albeit the London side were a very poor outfit.

The problem that Lyn Jones has is that because the number of players he has in the successful Welsh team it has a natural knock-on effect.

He needs to maintain that success otherwise there are questions marks about the money they have spent and how they have invested it.

Since the Welsh triumphs, the Ospreys are now carrying the flag for Wales and it will be seen as a national failure if they don’t win some silverware.

But it looks good for them now with the second game coming up against Saracens in two weeks.

And that Heineken Cup match is more important than the EDF Energy semi-final last weekend

I think the Ospreys can win the Anglo/Welsh and European double especially with the belief and confidence that is coming through from certain players like Shane Williams and Gavin Henson.

The first quest is to avenge last season’s EDF Energy cup defeat against Leicester.

Lyn Jones will have the memory of losing in last year’s final but they have improved tenfold since then.

Wasps could not cope with the Leicester forwards on Saturday and that will be another test for the Ospreys in the final.

The Ospreys have nothing to fear from the Tigers backs, it is just whether they can do it up front.

THERE has been much talk this week of the coaching appointments of England and the Lions.

When you see the likes of Martin Johnson, Neil Back, Mike Catt and the stupid Austin Healey you wonder about the bare bones that England are dealing with.

These guys have only just finished playing and have little or no coaching experience.

I think Shaun Edwards’ reputation is king at the moment but I believe he will stay loyal to Wales and Warren Gatland and England have missed out on him. And he should be involved in the Lions coaching staff with his Wasps boss Ian McGeechan as number one.

It will be like water off a ducks back for Geech because he has done it so often before.

I don’t think it is fair on Warren Gatland to ask him to take charge. The Graham Henry episode of 2001 has shown how difficult it is for a guy to coach an international side and the Lions.