Cardiff Blues flanker Ellis Jenkins was awarded the Stuart Gallacher memorial ‘Man-of-Judgement’ trophy by the Welsh Rugby Writers Association (WRWA) at its annual dinner on Wednesday night. Jenkins is the second winner of the award following British & Irish Lions, Wales and Ospreys scrum-half Rhys Webb, who picked it up in September 2016. This year’s WRWA Player of the Year award – also presented at the Cardiff Arms Park event – went to Justin Tipuric after his efforts for the Ospreys, Wales and the Lions

Sam Warburton is to have an operation on his neck which looks likely to rule him out of most of this season. The British and Irish Lions captain has been suffering from a neck injury for a while, but the Cardiff Blues have revealed the problem was made worse during training this week and now Warburton is to undergo surgery.

Cardiff Blues assistant coach Matt Sherratt has claimed they should be “proud” of all but the last 11 minutes of their 37-9 hammering at Leinster. The Blues conceded three tries in those final stages in Dublin on Friday night, but in a remarkably upbeat assessment of their display, Danny Wilson’s right-hand man has insisted they should puff out their chests at the fact they were only losing 16-9 before the wheels came off.

Cardiff Blues assistant coach Matt Sherratt has claimed they should be “proud” of all but the last 11 minutes of their 37-9 hammering at Leinster. The Blues conceded three tries in those final stages in Dublin on Friday night, but in a remarkably upbeat assessment of their display, Danny Wilson’s right-hand man has insisted they should puff out their chests at the fact they were only losing 16-9 before the wheels came off.

Danny Wilson and his Cardiff Blues have been given a flattering introduction by Leinster, who hope to give them a battering in Dublin on Friday night. The Blues were left numb after their Guinness Pro 14 opening 20-10 home defeat to Edinburgh last week, which prompted head coach Wilson to wield the axe and make six changes. Only Friday, Wilson also agreed to send former Wales prop Scott Andrews out on loan to Bath for the next month.

Dan Biggar’s confirmed departure for Northampton next season underlines turbulent times at the Ospreys, says Robin Davey. But the Cardiff Blues and the Dragons have plenty to concern themselves with, too, and only the Scarlets can be happy with the way they started the season. The Scarlets lit up the start of the new Guinness Pro14 on a disappointing weekend for the Welsh regions, made more so by the subsequent confirmation that Dan Biggar is to leave the Ospreys. Biggar will move to Northampton at the end of this season, the Saints excitedly announced on Wednesday afternoon, almost a full 12 months before he will be pulling on their jersey.

Dan Biggar’s confirmed departure for Northampton next season underlines turbulent times at the Ospreys, says Robin Davey. But the Cardiff Blues and the Dragons have plenty to concern themselves with, too, and only the Scarlets can be happy with the way they started the season. The Scarlets lit up the start of the new Guinness Pro14 on a disappointing weekend for the Welsh regions, made more so by the subsequent confirmation that Dan Biggar is to leave the Ospreys. Biggar will move to Northampton at the end of this season, the Saints excitedly announced on Wednesday afternoon, almost a full 12 months before he will be pulling on their jersey.

The Guinness Pro 14 kicked off on Friday night – and then spread into Saturday, when every other oval and round ball game was providing an alternative. Geraint Powell says it doesn’t have to be like this. The question of the optimal kick-off time in which to play Welsh regional rugby has once again been brought into stark focus on this opening weekend of the new Guinness Pro 14 season. Obviously, official attendances have to be taken with a pinch of salt. As many will already know, the market practice is to use a “tickets out” basis and this will include all free tickets handed out to corporate sponsors and all season ticket holders – whether in actual attendance or not. Some were querying the wisdom of all four Welsh regions playing at home on the opening

The Guinness Pro 14 kicked off on Friday night – and then spread into Saturday, when every other oval and round ball game was providing an alternative. Geraint Powell says it doesn’t have to be like this. The question of the optimal kick-off time in which to play Welsh regional rugby has once again been brought into stark focus on this opening weekend of the new Guinness Pro 14 season. Obviously, official attendances have to be taken with a pinch of salt. As many will already know, the market practice is to use a “tickets out” basis and this will include all free tickets handed out to corporate sponsors and all season ticket holders – whether in actual attendance or not. Some were querying the wisdom of all four Welsh regions playing at home on the opening

Danny Wilson admitted his Cardiff Blues team got what they deserved after their opening Guinness Pro14 fixture ended in defeat. The Blues’ optimism from encouraging pre-season results was put sharply into context by Edinburgh who won comfortably, 20-10 at the Arms Park. There was even a dismissive slap in the face from the Scots’ new head coach Richard Cockerill, who claimed afterwards his squad had worked much harder in pre-season training than anything they were made to suffer from a limited Blues side.

Rey Lee-Lo returns to action as Cardiff Blues kick-off their new Guinness Pro 14 season with a home clash against Edinburgh on Friday night (7.35pm). The 2016-17 Peter Thomas Player of the Year did not feature during the pre-season victories over London Scottish and Exeter Chiefs after he was given an extended break following his summer exploits with Samoa. But he has been training with the squad and goes straight into a starting team which includes 10 internationals and Nick Williams, who also returns.

Continuing our countdown to the new Guinness Pro 14 season, Geraint Powell looks at the Cardiff Blues and assesses whether or not astute coaching and promising youngsters can overcome financial constraints and shifting priorities. The Cardiff Blues are always the most difficult Welsh region to analyse pre-season and far more so than the Ospreys (http://www.dai-sport.com/ospreys-ready-fly-back-shadows/) or the Scarlets (http://www.dai-sport.com/scarlets-bloodline-williams-halfpenny-will-keep-pumping-top-pro14/). Unlike the recently failed Newport Gwent Dragons, now the Dragons under WRU member club ownership, they have not been operating on a shoestring budget over many years thanks in particular to the benevolence of chairman Peter Thomas.