Cardiff Prepare for Newport Return

Sam Warburton will return to the Blues starting line up as Cardiff and Newport go head-t-head for the second time in a week on New Year's Day.

Mark Hammett is confident his players will right the wrongs of the Boxing Day home defeat to the Dragons by getting a much needed victory at Rodney Parade.

"There are some proud players in this team. They are proud of the region they play for and they are disappointed. Against the Dragons, a poor first-half performance probably undid a lot of good work that has been done. But that's sport and sometimes you get a smack on the hand and you have to pick yourself up.”

Many fans were left bemused and disappointed by Hammer’s selection for the near sold out derby match, with a number of key players rested or left on the bench. However the Kiwi has said there will be a number of changes, including the return of British Lions captain, Warburton.

"I think the side that we picked, if we played to our potential, would have achieved the result we wanted. Unfortunately, as a group, some players played below their normal standard.”

He went further, without naming any names, identifying that a number of our squad are perhaps not up to the required standard.

"I have made mistakes before and I will make mistakes again. I am not saying we made one against the Dragons or not. But In the six months I have been here, you have to take time to understand which players can perform at different levels.”

After the Dragons result, it looks very unlikely that Cardiff Blues will qualify for the top tier of European rugby. That will come as a huge disappointment to all involved, but Hammett’s challenge from now until the end of the season will be to be find the players that represent the future of the region, and try to find new homes for those players that don’t.