Go West

It's not been a bad year for Wales and the South West of England.

The Welsh rugby team ran away with the Six Nations, Cardiff City are in the FA Cup Final for the first time since 1927 and Bristol City have also made it to Wembley.

Only the play-off final against Watford or Hull now stands between them and a second successive promotion, this time to the Premiership.

We won't mention Wrexham.

Rhys Williams - under the knife

Cardiff Blues back Rhys Williams went under a surgeon’s knife this week but the real pain came watching Warren Gatland pick 13 Ospreys players for Saturday’s Six Nations opener against England.

Williams’ team-mates at the Blues, Gethin Jenkins and Tom Shanklin, were the biggest omissions from Gatland’s first 15 with Martyn Williams the only Blues player set to start at Twickenham.

But Williams, capped 44 times for his country, threw his support behind the selection with the reminder it is still a Welsh side and one he hopes he will be able to play for again once he has recovered from his latest set back.

Williams, who was part of the Magnificent Seven Blues players who helped Wales win the 2005 Gland Slam, said: “I obviously thought that Gethin Jenkins was playing well and along with Tom Shanklin will be disappointed to have missed out, but as long as the team goes well on Saturday it’s a Welsh team.”

The versatile back has just had a second operation on a torn patellar in his knee, suffered playing for the Blues against Glasgow in November last year.

Talking to the Cardiff Evening News the day after his surgery he said: “I’m happy with it and looking forward to starting the rehab. I just need to get going now really.”

Timescales are a touchy subject with any injury but Williams hopes to be back for the start of next season. “It’s too early to say in terms of targets but it will probably take another three months or so before I’m back. I need to rest up for a few days after the operation but next week I’ll be back with the physios and working hard to get back.

“My aim is to get playing again for the Blues before thinking about anything else,” said the 27-year-old who is in his testimonial year at the Arms Park.

“I can’t believe it’s nearly been ten years,” said Williams. It’s gone really quickly and doesn’t feel that long at all.”

Amongst many highlights two moments stood out clearly since he first stepped out for Cardiff in a try-scoring debut at the Arms Park in 1999. He said: “Everybody says it, but my first Welsh cap and obviously winning Wales’ first Grand Slam in 27 years. I was fortunate to be part of it.”

Asked for his thoughts on Saturday’s game Williams said: “I always dream. But I don’t want to make any predictions.”

Three other Blues players were named in Gatland’s Six Nation’s squad: Tom James, Jamie Roberts and Robin Sowden-Taylor. But they will have to join Williams watching on from the sidelines after failing to make Saturday’s 22-man squad.

Nicky Robinson - One step ahead

“You’re notoriously late,” said Cardiff Blues press officer Gwydion Griffiths. “I’m not,” protested star fly-half Nicky Robinson, slipping down in his chair in mischievous fashion. “It’s just that things happen.”

And so they do. The 26-year-old is the club's all-time leading points scorer, his team are in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup for the first time since their inception as a region, he has 12 Welsh caps to his name and the Six Nations starts on Saturday.


But Robinson will be confined to the sofa, injured, and being injured is a testing time for rugby players. “When you’re fit your whole life is just training and rugby,” he said. “When that’s taken away it leaves a big void in your life which you have to try and fill.”

Which explains why he has one eye on the future and is planning for life after rugby despite his age. “I’ve done little bits for S4C. I’d like to do something now work-wise to get the experience to do a proper job as opposed to this when my career is over. It is hard because I don’t know what I want to do. I’ve never done anything other than rugby.”

Robinson is all too aware of the privileged position he is in at the moment. “It’d be hard to try and get the same kind of feelings you get from rugby in a job,” he said. “I know that’s not possible but if you can find something you enjoy...” His words tailed off in wistful acknowledgement that there is no substitute for being paid to play rugby.

But his mischievousness returned and, nodding in the direction of the press officer, he laughed. “Gwyd gets a lot of excitement out of his job.”

He called out, “Dream job for you this isn’t it, Gwyd. Working with all your heroes.” He laughed again. “Like me”.

Robinson’s appearances on S4C have caught the eyes of Welsh production companies and more work is in the pipeline but it is his performances on the pitch which have made him a household name in Wales and further-a-field.

And it is back to the pitch that he hopes to return as soon as possible after an operation before Christmas on a torn hip flexor muscle. “Obviously I’m constantly asking surgeons and physios, ‘how long, how long’ but they always say everyone’s different so it’s hard to give you a specific time.”

The specific time on everyone else's lips is the Blues’ Heineken Cup quarter-final showdown in Toulouse on April 6 against the favourites for the tournament.

“It’s a definite target, he said. “There’s not a huge amount of time between now and then really to get back into training and to get back to full fitness as well, which is obviously where you want to be if you’re playing against Toulouse in the quarter final of the Heineken Cup.”

His eyes lit up at the prospect of making the game but the sparkle belied his concerns. “We’re realistic. If I’m not fit then I’m not. It’s not as if I’m going to come back just to play in the game. You’ve got to try and think a bit bigger than that, obviously your career is a bit bigger than that.”

As if to emphasise his hopes though he added: “If I’m not fit it’ll be a massive disappointment.”

With a new coach at the helm of the national side Robinson knows now is the time to return, make his mark and put himself in contention for the fly-half berth along with James Hook and Stephen Jones.

“National honours is what you want,” he said. “That’s why you play rugby, to play at the highest possible level and that’s internationally. Whether that’ll be this season or next season I don’t know, it depends how quickly I come back, but it’s a definite goal.”

Robinson is not short on self-belief but there is an added incentive to return. His older brother, Jamie Robinson, 27, plays at outside centre for the Blues and the pair make a formidable partnership. “If you don’t know your brother's game then you know you’re struggling,” said Nicky.

“It’s good to have him there and there’s definitely a bit of competition. You don’t want the other one to get too much ahead of you with any caps or anything like that.”

Jamie has 23 caps for Wales compared to Nicky’s 12 but although part of the 2007 World Cup squad Jamie was overlooked in Warren Gatland’s first 22.

“I’ve got to catch him up actually,” Nicky added, making a mental note that will only increase his daily resolve. He might be last on the bus but Nicky Robinson is a player in a hurry to return to the heart of the Blues line-up and press for a return to the national stage.

Club rugby - West round-up

Round-up of Welsh club rugby from the national league West divisions for the Welsh Rugby Union website and the Western Mail.

Kidwelly took advantage of the wet-weather cancellations in Division Two to move into third place with a 23-10 win over rock-bottom Nantymoel. The only other game played saw Gorseinon beat Cwmavon 22-5 to draw level with them on points.

The top two in Division Three West secured bonus point victories to pull further away from the chasing pack. Leaders Ammanford beat Newcastle Emlyn 31-3 and second placed Llanybydder won 22-6 at fourth placed Laugharne. Cardigan beat Amman United 14-3 to stay third while Aberystwyth put 40 points past Llanelli Wanderers without reply in the mid-table battle of the day.

Division Three South West leaders Tondu slipped to third after they crashed 32-7 to BP Llandarcy who go second. Nantyffyllon breezed past bottom-placed Banwen 17-0 to go top and Seven Sisters squeezed past Skewen 8-6 to leapfrog Kenfig Hill who lost 36-7 to Aberavon Quins.

Division Four West top dogs Hendy smashed Milford Haven 77-14 in a 13-try hammering while the bottom two both won their first games of the season. Birchgrove won 13-12 against Pembroke 13-12 and Neyland pulled off a major shock, beating second place Pontarddulais 12-8.

Bryncoch now lead Division Four South West after an away win at Glyncorrwg as the clash between top two Glynneath and Brynamman was called off. Pontycymmer scraped a precious 10-10 draw against Abercrave and Resolven got their second win of the season against Hirwaun.

Burry Port put six tries past St David's to stay top of Division Five West but Cefneithen and Aberaeron both got bonus point wins to keep up the pressure on the leaders.

Betws climbed into the top three in Division Five South West with a 15-11 away win over New Dock Stars. Ystradgynlais made it eight wins out of eight at the top beating bottom placed Swansea Uplands 32-12.