Halfpenny back for Cardiff Blues side to face Toulon

Posted on Jan 11, 2013 in Cardiff Blues

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

WELSH RUGBY NEWS: Cardiff Blues name side for homecoming match

Posted on Sep 6, 2012 in Cardiff Blues

Cardiff Blues’ homecoming match against Edinburgh at the Arms Park kicks off at 7.05pm on Friday night

Match tickets for this match are competitively priced from £15 for an adult terrace ticket and £25 for two adults and two children in the Family Stand.

The Blues will be launching their Heineken Fanzone at the much anticipated match and there will be a host of entertainment for supporters to enjoy with gates opening two hours before kick off.

Following on from an away victory over Connacht last Saturday Phil Davies has selected a side that sees the return of internationals Leigh Halfpenny, Alex Cuthbert, Sam Warburton and Bradley Davies.

Speaking ahead of the match Phil Davies said,

“I’ve watched Edinburgh and they are a very committed side who like to play an expansive style of rugby and are very competitive throughout all areas of the game.

“They come off the back of a successful season last year which saw them reach the semi final of the Heineken Cup.

“Therefore their confidence will be high.

“They have some outstanding players in their ranks with the likes of Visser, Denton and Laidlaw and of course they have recruited ex Blues players Richie Rees and John Yapp.

“We expect a pretty dogged performance off them but also an expansive style which we ourselves are endeavouring to produce.

“It is fantastic to be back at the Arms Park and Peter Thomas along with Richard Holland deserve massive credit for making this happen.

“The staff at the Arms Park have done a magnificent job since we have been back and hopefully you will all see and appreciate all the work that has been undertaken during the summer.

15. Leigh Halfpenny 14. Alex Cuthbert 13. Gavin Evans 12. Dafydd Hewitt 11. Tom James 10. Ceri Sweeney 9. Lewis Jones

8. Andries Pretorius (c) 7. Sam Warburton 6. Josh Navidi 5. James Down 4. Bradley Davies 3.Benoit Bourrust 2.Rhys Williams 1.Taufa’ao Filise

16. Marc Breeze 17. Nathan Trevett 18.Thomas Davies 19. Lou Reed 20.Luke Hamilton 21.Lloyd Williams 22. Rhys Patchell 23. Thomas Williams

Wales team to face Australia in the 3rd test

Posted on Jun 21, 2012 in Wales

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.”

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.

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