Cardiff Blues have made five changes for their return to Guinness Pro14 action against the Scarlets on Saturday night. The Blues go into the Welsh derby at Parc y Scarlets on the back of consecutive European Challenge Cup victories against Lyon and Toulouse. Kristian Dacey continues to skipper the team and four of the changes come in the pack. Brad Thyer and Dillon Lewis complete the front-row, while Seb Davies and Olly Robinson step up from the bench at lock and flanker respectively.

It has been quite a week for rising second row star Seb Davies with a new contract at Cardiff Blues being followed by a call-up for the Welsh squad for next month’s Under Armour Series. Despite being courted by a number of clubs, the Cardiff-born and bred lock has committed his long-term future to the Blues by signing his first senior contract. His signature follows those of two other Wales Under 20 caps, Rhun Williams and Corey Domachowski. “I’m really happy to have signed a senior contract with Cardiff Blues. They are my home team and I have come through the system here,” said the 21-year-old former Ysgol Glantaf and Coleg Y Cymoedd product.

Danny Wilson believes his young Cardiff Blues side are starting to add guts to youthful gusto after their impressive win in Toulouse on Friday night. The Blues made it two wins from two games in the European Challenge Cup with a courageous 17-15 victory over the French giants at the Stade Ernest Wallon. Toulouse – who beat Cardiff in the very first European Cup final back in 1996 – had won 14 of their previous 15 home matches against Welsh opposition in the premier European tournament.

The future of Cardiff Arms Park is still less clear than the contents of a Clark’s Pie. Rob Cole peers under the crust and says there is plenty to chew on, but one side has to be prepared to swallow hard. Ever since Richard Holland took over as the chief executive at Cardiff Blues just over six years ago his in-tray has been dominated by one issue – the re-development of Cardiff Arms Park. Seen as the way to inject much needed cash into the ailing Blues, plans for a £150m regeneration scheme cannot move forward unless the Cardiff Athletic Club agrees to assign the lease on the Arms Park to the Blues for the next 150 years.

Danny Wilson insisted his Cardiff Blues can be pleased with their Friday night efforts after they took maximum points from Lyon, who did little to alter perceptions that French clubs lack love for the European Challenge Cup. The Top 14 league leaders made 14 changes to their line-up for their opening tie at the Arms Park and the Blues – who made 10 changes themselves – took full advantage with a bonus point 29-19 victory. French clubs have always held ambivalent feelings towards both European tournaments, often thinking their domestic league positions need to be protected first and Europe is an after-thought, unless their fixture list is forgiving or the glint of silverware comes into view.

European rugby is back, but Robin Davey believes poor scheduling and some poor form means the Welsh regions will struggle to make much of a splash in their respective pools. European rugby takes centre stage this weekend, but before a ball is kicked there’s anger that clubs and fans are being given scant respect and in some cases treated with disdain. Already two clubs – the Scarlets and Wasps – have complained about schedules which are far too tight, especially at a time when concern about player welfare is so prevalent and rightly so.

Look out, Boris Johnson – Europe is on the march! At least, it is in rugby as the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup swing open the borders to competition this weekend. Although, as Geraint Powell notes, there are fewer people waving the flag with quite the enthusiasm of a few years ago. It’s a familiar story of English land grabs and cash battles which have spectacularly backfired. I recently looked in my personal blog at the question of the ongoing omission of a Welsh regional rugby double-header at the Principality Stadium in Round 5 of the Guinness Pro14 (https://thevietgwent.wordpress.com/2017/10/02/the-pro14-round-5-another-season-and-once-again-where-was-the-other-welsh-regional-derby-double-header-at-the-wru-stadium/), to kick start the regional season for the wider rugby public, even though there were Welsh derby matches in Round 6. A crowd of only 8,178, inclusive of the vocal Dragons travelling support, watched the Cardiff Blues secure a 43-29 win in the eastern derby on Friday evening.   

The Dragons travel to face the Cardiff Blues on Friday night in the first Guinness Pro14 Welsh derby of the season. For head coach Bernard Jackman it’s a yardstick by which to measure progress and despite a huge injury list there will be no excuses, as he tells Graham Thomas. Bernard Jackman insists his wounded Dragons will do much more than merely limp through their first derby clash under his charge. The Dragons’ recent record against the Cardiff Blues is not one to shout about, with just one victory in their last six meetings, but the persuasive Irishman coaching in his first Welsh derby on Friday night intends to ensure it is a memorable encounter for more than mere novelty.

Angry Lions, resurgent Dragons, and nose-diving Ospreys – Robin Davey examines the health of the beasts in the Welsh rugby game park after a dramatic few weeks on and off the field. Welsh rugby is never without its dramas and though we are only just into the second month of the current season they are there in abundance – some of the am-dram kind, but another with potential to please the critics. Who would have guessed little over a month ago that previous top-gunners the Ospreys would lose both their Wales and Lions half-backs Dan Biggar and Rhys Webb at the end of the season?

Danny Wilson has pledged to maintain his professionalism and remain committed to the end at Cardiff Blues – despite facing a long, drawn out departure in May. Last week, the Blues head coach sensationally turned down a contract extension at the capital city region, preferring instead to back his talent, go back onto the open market and find another challenge. Having spent more than a decade working his way up through the coaching ranks to earn the right to fill one of the top four posts in Welsh rugby below international level it was a decision that spoke volumes about the current situation at the Blues. They wanted him to stay, he stuck to his principles!

Coaches leaving the Cardiff Blues is nothing new in recent years, but the decision of Danny Wilson to quit next spring symbolises so much that has gone rapidly downhill, argues Rob Cole. From the chairman to the squad, to the commercial department, there is a need for overhaul. There are many ways to look at Danny Wilson deciding enough is enough as the head coach at Cardiff Blues. You could say he is leaving because he has potentially got a better offer to join a really big club in England, Northampton Saints, albeit in a less senior role.

Danny Wilson is leaving Cardiff Blues at the end of the season and Robin Davey is less than surprised at a “yo-yo” region where coaches are either on the up  . . . or the way down. The downbeat feel extends to the Ospreys and the Dragons, too, but at least he sees the Scarlets continuing to set the standards. The new rugby season is only a month old but already it’s a tale of woe for three of the Welsh regions with little prospect of things getting any better soon. Cardiff Blues, the Ospreys and the Dragons are all having their problems, though the Scarlets are an honourable exception having got their campaign off to a pretty effective start.