1
'That’s what 90 per cent of people will judge Cardiff on, not the stuff off pitch'
By Simon Thomas
Cardiff Rugby coach Matt Sherratt says his players have done themselves proud with the way they have responded to recent events off the field.
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In their first game since the club temporarily went into administration, Sherratt’s side claimed a 36-19 bonus victory over the Ospreys in the Judgement Day double header at the Principality Stadium.
In doing so, they kept themselves firmly in the hunt for a URC play-off spot with a huge game against top eight rivals Munster Rugby coming up at the Arms Park next Friday.
They also clinched the Welsh Shield which is based on results in the derbies during the course of the season.
The win over the Ospreys, which was sealed with two late tries, has seen Cardiff move up to sixth in the table, level on points with Benetton and a point ahead of Munster and the Stormers.
Asked how much of an achievement it would be to make the play-offs, Sherratt said: “I think it would be massive.
“When I took the job, I was thinking I would love to get us into a play-off or a knock-out game within three years.
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“We are in the fight, aren’t we? That’s against a backdrop of quite a lot of negativity and a lot of twists and turns over the last two years.”
Following their move into administration – which Sherratt has admitted was unsettling – Cardiff were taken over by the WRU.
“It’s credit to the players how they have reacted. It would have been so easy for them to down tools in the last two weeks,” he said.
“What I said to the players before the game is they are the club and outwardly people will judge Cardiff by watching them on the field.
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“If they can show the heart they have shown over the last two years and the ambition they have with the ball, that’s what 90 per cent of people will judge Cardiff on, not the stuff off pitch.
“So it’s important for the players to realise they are the perception of the club and, credit to them, they have done themselves proud.”
Reflecting on the six-try victory over the Ospreys, which featured a hat-trick from wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Sherratt said: “I was pleased with how brave we were in attack and we were pretty good defensively.
“It’s five points, six tries against local rivals. It’s made us the most successful Welsh region in terms of the derbies and that’s big for us as a club, especially with the backdrop of the last couple of weeks.”
Now all eyes turn to the titanic tussle with Munster which is set to see a full house at the Arms Park.
“Our fans have got history in terms of when the club needs them, they usually come out en masse,” said Sherratt.
“Let’s hope we can get the Arms Park rocking on Friday night.
“It will be a big occasion for many reasons. There’s the league table, but there’s also going to be some personal reasons. It will be some people’s last home game for the club.
“The Arms Park is always a special place to play and we will definitely use that in the week to build the players up.”
Giving his thoughts, Player of the Match Hamer-Webb said: “It’s our last game at home, the last time for a lot of lads to play together at home, so we’ll make it special.
United Rugby Championship
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Leinster
15
14
1
0
67
2
Glasgow
15
11
4
0
58
3
Bulls
15
11
4
0
54
4
Sharks
15
10
5
0
49
5
Benetton
15
8
6
1
41
6
Cardiff Rugby
15
7
7
1
41
7
Munster
15
7
8
0
40
8
Stormers
15
7
8
0
40
9
Scarlets
15
7
7
1
38
10
Ulster
15
7
8
0
37
11
Edinburgh
15
6
9
0
37
12
Connacht
15
5
10
0
35
13
Ospreys
15
6
8
1
33
14
Lions
15
6
9
0
31
15
Zebre
15
5
10
0
27
16
Dragons RFC
15
1
14
0
9
“If it’s going to be a full house, brilliant. It would be an absolute privilege to have that.”
As for the play-off battle, he added: “Our captain, Liam Belcher, has made a brilliant point these last couple of weeks that this pressure is exactly what we want and we need to enjoy it and thrive on it.
“He has said it is a privilege and I couldn’t agree more. We want to be in at the business end. That’s why we are here.”
In the other Judgement Day fixture, the Scarlets kept their own play-off hopes alive as they fought back from 20-7 down to secure a 31-23 bonus point win over Dragons RFC.
That has taken them up to ninth in the table, just two points off the top eight, with league leaders Leinster the visitors to Llanelli next Saturday.
Coach Dwayne Peel said: “It was a tough game and I am pleased with the character and resilience we showed to fight back. We battled hard to get that win. Five points was all important.
“We are in the hunt. There’s obviously a massive challenge for us next week, but we are in it and you want to be in there fighting.
“If you look at the fixture list of those teams that are in the four to ten slot, they are all playing each other over the next couple of weeks, so it’s exciting.
“There are going to be sides taking points off each other, so we have got to focus on capitalising when the opportunity comes.”
On the prospect of taking on Leinster, Peel added: “It’s going to be an awesome week for us. That’s what we play the game for.
“We have all seen them over the last few weeks, they have looked very good. So the task is big, but the reward is big as well.
“We will look forward to it. These type of occasions are big at the club. That’s what you want. You want to be challenging yourself against the best.”
Ospreys coach Mark Jones gave his thoughts on the Judgement Day double header which drew a crowd of 28,328 to the Principality Stadium: “The concept is the right one where you have a day where everyone comes together and celebrates Welsh rugby with the talent we have got and the way we can perform.
“We need to work out how we get 60,000 in there like we used to. That’s the challenge.
“The selfish side of me says open it up, make tickets £1, fill the place out and get them in love with rugby.
“I know electric is not free and you have to pay people to staff it and make money, so I get it.
“But, at some point, we have to get people back in love with Welsh rugby and get them in the stadiums cheering on the teams. We’ve got to create some heroes out of the players and, if we can do that, it can be self-fulfilling.
“We should definitely try and keep it going here, but everybody is aligned around the fact it needs to be a big spectacle from a visual point of view, as well.”
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