Lions Victory: A Help or a Hindrance?

Following the success of the superb Lions series victory on the weekend, theArmsPark explores whether the Blues can reap the rewards of having 3 of the star players.

This Lions tour has been interweaved with important contributions from members of the Cardiff Blues playing squad, from the first announcement, to the very last minute.

April 30^th 2013, Sam Warburton made Wales and Cardiff Blues fans incredibly proud, as he was named as captain of the British and Irish Lions. He would be the first Welshman to lead the Lions since Phil Bennett in 1977. He was one of 15 Welshmen that made up the 37-man touring party, and was joined by 3 fellow Blues players; Jamie Roberts, Alex Cuthbert and Leigh Halfpenny. (They were also joined by former, and indeed returning-Cardiff Blue Gethin Jenkins, who sadly dropped out of the squad through injury.)

Already, the Blues were well established within the Lions.

In the first match on tour, Alex Cuthbert made his Lions debut scoring two excellent tries against the Barbarians in a 59-8 victory. He went on to score the first try against Combined Countries, in the fourth match on tour, before starting and scoring in the victorious first test match. He ended the tour as top try scorer, joint with George North, with 4 tries; however while North appeared in 7 matches, Cuthbert played in just 4 games giving him a ‘try-per-match’ ratio. Of course, Cuthbert also received this accolade during this year’s 6 Nations.

Things didn’t go quite so well for Jamie Roberts. The Racing metro-bound centre was cruelly ruled out of the first two tests, but was controversially named next to Jonathan Davies in a midfield partnership without global superstar, Brian O’Driscoll. However, Roberts more than justified his inclusion, scoring the final try in the 41-16 demolition of the Aussies, leaving pundits around the British Isles forced to eat humble pie.

Then there’s Halfpenny. The metronomic kicking-machine was a force-de-jour in Australia, scoring 114 points, 49 of which came during the three test matches – breaking the record for the highest number of points scored by any one player in a test series. He played every minute of all 3 tests, as well as appearing in 3 other matches. With 21 conversions, 19 penalties and three tries, the stats speak for themselves.

All of this is fact. He was outstanding. But what made him a truly legendary Lion, was his ability to bounce back from missing the potentially series-winning penalty kick in the second test. They say you can tell the measure of a man based on how he deals with defeat; Halfpenny beat himself up a for missing that kick, but rather than become withdrawn and lose confidence, he picked himself up, dusted himself down and worked harder and longer than ever before. He used the heartache to motive and inspire.

In the final test, he succeeded with 9 out of his 10 kicks at goal, set up two tries – including one inspirational run- and rightfully received Man of the Match. For me, that alone made him fully worthy of being named man of the Series.

Looking ahead to next season, there are so many positives to take from this tour. The Blues, despite their poor performance last year, can proudly boast having the Series winning Lions’ Captain, The Lions’ Top try Scorer and the Lions’ man of the Series on their books.

These boys will ooze confidence and calmness in difficult situations next year, and will be impeccable role models for the likes of Rhys Patchell, Josh Navidi, Harry Robinson and the numerous young players coming through the ranks. They will attract fans from across the world to the Arms Park, and they will continue to be exemplary ambassadors for our club.

The hindrances? Well, for once, there actually aren’t many.

Sure, Halfpenny, Warburton and Cuthbert will find themselves hugely in demand from the likes of Toulon, but that’s nothing new. Perhaps they’ve added a few 0’s to their price tag, and why they shouldn’t they? They fully deserve to be paid the top dollar. And though we are always wary of the circling sharks and vultures, we can breathe easy knowing Alex Cuthbert has signed a 3 year deal to stay with the Blues, while negations have already begun with both Halfpenny and Warburton, with the club quietly confident of securing them for a further 3 years each.

After the season from hell last year, I find myself looking for the negative in everything, but we finally have something to feel good about. Indeed not just good, we should feel genuinely proud, honoured and privileged that these history-making players grace our (soon-to-be plastic!) turf.

Things are bound to be going catastrophically wrong again in a few months, but just for now, let’s enjoy this. Thanks boys.