Cardiff RFC will be aiming to return to winning ways on Friday evening as they entertain Swansea RFC at the Cardiff Arms Park (19:30).
The encounter will also see Craig Hudd who was named as the club’s captain at the end of May, make his first start of the season after coming off the bench last Friday.
The Blue and Blacks come into the contest after a narrow 19-12 defeat at a freezing Rodney Parade against Newport RFC.
Alun Rees crossed over after a catch and drive, and Elijah Evans brilliantly scored his first try of the season.
However, a try-less first 40 minutes proved costly as Josh Skinner, Garin Harris, and Chay Foster-Smith scored to secure victory for the Black and Ambers.
For Swansea, they enter the encounter on the back of a dramatic 29-29 draw with Bridgend Ravens at the Brewery Field. Two late tries by Logan Lloyd and Lewis Edwards saw the Whites earn a dramatic draw.
Team News:
1. Ben Murphy
2. Alun Rees
3. Tom Harper
4. Evan Rees
5. Craig Hudd (C)
6. Lucas de la Rua
7. Nathan Hudd
8. Aled Ward
9. Ethan Lloyd
10. Lloyd Lucas
11. Dewi Cross
12. Osian Darwin-Lewis
13. Elijah Evans
14. Aled Summerhill
15. Matty Young
Replacements:
16. Gavin Parry
17. Cam Tyler-Grocott
18. Callum Donaghue-Proud
19. Ethan Phillips
20. Ben Fry
21. Joe Williams
22. Steff Crimp
23. Tom Williams
Pre-Match Thoughts:
Speaking ahead of the match, head coach Dan Fish said: “Friday night Swansea home, it’s going to be another tough game.
“Swansea have improved massively this season and are a tough team to breakdown.
“We know what we want to try and do against them, to break them down, but we need to be switched on for 80 minutes, and we know Swansea will never go away.
“Two late tries last week shows they go right to the end and it’s important we finish our chances Friday.
“We have spoken about our areas of improvement after the Newport game, and want to make sure we control the areas of the pitch better.
“We had a good session Tuesday night and look to come out the blocks Friday as we know we can’t afford to have a slow start.”
Remember the last meeting at the Cardiff Arms Park?
The last time these two met in Cardiff, was in the pair’s first outing of 2025. The contest itself had a similar feeling to last Friday with the temperature that day also freezing.
Alun Rees who celebrated his 100th appearance on his last outing at the Arms Park, scored twice alongside scrum half Ethan Lloyd also claiming a brace.
Elsewhere Lucas de la Rua who starts on the blindside for Friday’s match scored with former Blue and Black Kodie Stone scoring as the Blue and Blacks won 32-22.
For those unable to make it to the Cardiff Arms Park on Friday evening, you can stay up-to-date with live updates across all Cardiff RFC social media channels (X, Facebook, and Instagram).