Cardiff RFC travels to the newly revamped St Helen’s on Thursday evening to continue their sesquicentennial season against Swansea RFC (KO: 19:30).
The Blue and Blacks enter the contest after another dominant second-half performance, beating Carmarthen Quins 35-12 at the Cardiff Arms Park last Saturday.
That afternoon, Ben Coomer scored Cardiff’s only first-half try, but in the final 40 minutes, Dewi Cross, Sion Davies, Tom Howe, and Iwan Pyrs-Jones all scored to secure a six-point bonus-point win.
After Newport RFC suffered a thumping 65-28 defeat in Colwyn Bay against Rygbi Gogledd Cymru (RGC), Cardiff, buoyed by being the only remaining undefeated side in Super Rygbi Cymru (SRC) this season, have climbed to the top of the league.
For Thursday evening’s hosts, Swansea enter the encounter winless, despite marking their return to St Helen’s with a spirited 27-26 defeat to Ebbw Vale, as the Gwent side mounted an impressive second-half comeback.
Before then, the Whites drew 26-26 with Bridgend Ravens before suffering back-to-back narrow defeats to Carmarthen Quins and Cardiff.
In fact, after outside-half Josh Phillips scored late against the Blue and Blacks, Swansea expertly denied Cardiff, who couldn’t record their first six-point bonus-point win of the season.
Since their last meeting with the Whites in September, their first home game of the season, the Blue and Blacks have also recorded two stunning victories. Those came over Ebbw Vale (59-14) and Pontypool RFC (43-5), and they are well placed heading into the clash at St Helen’s.
Team News:
- Ioan Emanuel
- Ethan Coombes
- Tom Harper
- Craig Hudd (C)
- Sean Moore
- Nathan Hudd
- Alfie Prygodzicz
- Ben Fry
- Ethan Lloyd
- Ben Coomer
- Iwan Pyrs-Jones
- Tom Williams
- Joe Goodchild
- Harry Turner
- Rhys Cummings
Replacements:
- Evan Nicholls-Ngasseu
- Harry Fry
- Louis Fletcher
- Kian Lloyd
- Jason Harries
- Charlie Rainbird
- Sonny Greenman
- Calen Edwards
Pre-Match Thoughts:
Speaking ahead of the encounter, Rugby Manager Iestyn Williams said: “We’re looking forward to heading to St Helen’s to take on Swansea as we look to build on our positive start to the season.
“It’s great to hear that the game is set to be played in front of a sell-out crowd. These are the occasions everyone looks forward to as players and coaches, and I’m sure the atmosphere will be fantastic.
“We’re also looking forward to experiencing the new facilities at St Helen’s, which will make the occasion even more special.
“Swansea are a good side who will provide a tough test, and we know we’ll have to be on top of our game from the first whistle. They have plenty of quality, and we’ll need to match their intensity, be disciplined in our approach, and take our opportunities when they come.
“We’ve made a positive start to the season, and the challenge now is to keep building on that, maintain our standards and continue to improve week on week.
“It’s also really pleasing to see a few of our youngsters earning an opportunity. Developing young players and giving them the chance to step up is an important part of what we’re building at Cardiff, and it’s great to see their hard work being rewarded.
“These experiences are hugely important for young players, helping them develop, gain confidence and understand what it takes to compete at this level. We know we’ll have to work hard for everything against a good Swansea side, but we’re excited by the challenge.
“Hopefully, we can put in a performance that reflects the effort the boys have put in during training, give our supporters something to be proud of and continue the positive momentum we’ve built so far this season.”
Remember the last meeting at St Helen’s?
Cardiff last travelled to face Swansea at St Helen’s in October 2024, when they secured a 38-29 win.
Speedster Tom Bowen, as he did on his Cardiff RFC debut against RGC, scored a sensational hat-trick that afternoon.
The winger was joined by scores from Ethan Lloyd, Steffan Emanuel and Benji Williams, as outside-half Harri Wilde kicked eight points from the tee, putting Cardiff back in pole position in the 2024/25 SRC league table.
However, despite remaining unbeaten at St Helen’s since 2019, the Blue and Blacks will still remember their last away encounter against the Whites more vividly.
This is because Dan Fish’s side were crowned SRC regular-season champions after Ebbw Vale’s costly mistakes allowed Cardiff to capitalise.
After victories away against both Pontypool and Llandovery RFC, the Blue and Blacks did the same against Swansea, securing a six-point bonus-point win at Broadacre, Dunvant RFC. The Whites played all their fixtures at Dunvant while work was being completed at St Helen’s.
A brace by Rhys Cummings that day was accompanied by scores from Ioan Emanuel, Alun Rees, Dewi Cross, and Jason Harries, securing a memorable 36-19 victory.
For those unable to make it to St Helen’s on Thursday evening, make sure to follow Cardiff RFC’s social media channels (X, Facebook, and Instagram) for the latest updates.
