Cardiff Blues
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Cardiff Blues (Welsh Gleision Caerdydd) are a regional Rugby Union team from Wales, playing in the Celtic League and European Rugby Cup/European Rugby Shield.
Club History
The Blues are one of the five original regions of the Welsh Regional Rugby Era. They are also one of only two regions who were not brought about by amalgamation of two or more clubs (the other being the Llanelli Scarlets).
The club came into being in the summer of 2003 when the WRU elected to reduce the current top tier of Welsh professional rugby from nine clubs into five regions, effectively mirroring the successful formats in Ireland and the Southern Hemisphere countries of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
The Blues initially represented the capital city of Wales, Cardiff and its surrounding areas. Ownership of the 'region' is held by Peter Thomas, owner of Cardiff Rugby Football Club.
In the summer of 2004, due to the liquidation of the Celtic Warriors region, the Cardiff Blues region have had their borders extended to also cover much of the valley heartlands, covering Caerphilly, Pontypridd, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil. This will potentially lead to the playing of several "home" games at Pontypridd's Sardis Road.
Due to the fact that the Cardiff Blues team was largely drawn from the underperforming Cardiff RFC team of 2002/2003, they have initially struggled, facing an early exit from the 2003/04 Heineken European Rugby Cup and finishing bottom of the five Welsh regions in the Celtic League. However the liquidation of the Celtic Warriors has seen the Blues improve their squad for the 2004/2005 season, one which will also see them retain their place in the Heineken European Rugby Cup, again thanks to the demise of the Warriors.
Home Ground
The Blues currently play their home games at Cardiff's Cardiff Arms Park ground (the home of Cardiff RFC, attached to Millennium Stadium). Talks are also in progress over playing a number of games in their newly expanded territories, including Pontypridd RFC's Sardis Road.
Statistics
Celtic League
| Season | Pos | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Bonus | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003/2004 | 6th | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 54 |
Celtic League Cup
| Season | Round | Match |
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| 2003/2004 | Qtr-Final | Edinburgh Rugby 33 - 16 Cardiff Blues |
European Rugby Cup
| Season | Pool/Round | Pos | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Bonus | Points |
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| 2003/2004 | Pool 3 | 2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
Notable Current Players
- Dan Baugh (Flanker) - Canada International
- Gethin Jenkins (Prop) - Wales International
- John Yapp (Prop) - Wales International
- Ben Evans (Prop) - Wales International
- Gareth Williams (Hooker) - Wales International
- Craig Quinnell (Lock) - Wales International
- Jamie Robinson (Centre/Full-Back) - Wales International
- Nicky Robinson (Outside Half) - Wales International
- Kort Schubert (Number 8) - USA International and Captain
- Tom Shanklin (Centre/Wing) - Wales International
- Martyn Williams (Flanker) - Wales International
Notable Former Players
- Iestyn Harris (Centre/Outside Half) - Wales International
- Pieter Muller (Centre) - South Africa International
See also
External links
- Cardiff Blues (http://www.cardiffblues.com/) official site
- Cardiff RFC (http://www.cardiffrfc.com/) official site
- Pontypridd RFC (http://www.pontypriddrfc.co.uk/) official site
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Competitions Celtic League | Celtic Cup | Welsh Premier Division | Heineken Cup | European Challenge Cup | European Shield | |
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Welsh rugby regions Cardiff Blues | Llanelli Scarlets | Neath-Swansea Ospreys | Newport Gwent Dragons | |
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Welsh rugby clubs | |