World Rugby player of the year Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Alex Dombrandt and Andre Esterhuizen were just a few of the big name players they confronted in an emergency for Cardiff Rugby.
But that was then. Today the opposition will be slightly different in the shape of Carmarthen Quins in the Indigo Group Premiership for Cardiff RFC.
The only game being played in the top-flight this weekend, it will be a chance for head coach Steve Law to see how some of the talented academy players who did so well when they stepped up to the Champions Cup can cope with a return to normality.
“They all did really well in very difficult circumstances and showed what they can do. They were all offered the chance to perform in the shop window and they stepped up to the mark,” said Law.
“I’m delighted for them and the club because it proves the point that if you perform well for the RFC side you will ultimately earn yourself a shot at the big time. But if you don’t perform at this level, you will have no chance of becoming a regional player.
“The way the academy and semi-pro players are used means that if players need a bit more time to develop they can get it. Game time is everything when it comes to developing young players and that’s where the Premiership comes in and plays such an important role.
“We haven’t played for quite a while now and everyone is looking forward to getting back into action. It will be important for players like Theo, Jacob and Sam to back up their European performances with good game against the Quins.”
Law’s men played Quins in a pre-season friendly, winning 13-10, but he still has nightmares about the defeat his side suffered in a live TV game at Carmarthen Park in their last competitive outing on 17 January, 2020.
“That was the most embarrassing day I’ve had as Cardiff coach,” said Law when recalling the 29-7 mauling.
Hoping for a repeat of that day, when the Quins went down to 14 men following the dismissal of Jac Wilson after only 21 minutes, will be their new head coach Craig Evans. The former outside half spent two seasons as a player at the Arms Park, helping them to reach the WRU Challenge Cup final, but won’t be looking to do his old club any favours.
The league fixture will be a forerunner to a Premiership Cup quarter-final clash later this month and Evans is hoping his players can lay down a marker before their return.
“We had a bad start to the season with a defeat to Pontypridd, but picked up with the home win over Llanelli. Now we are just glad to be playing again after a lengthy lay-off,” said Evans.
“It was nice for the players to have some extra time with their families over Christmas. Now it is time to get back down to the business of playing rugby.
“Our win over Cardiff two years ago was one of our best performances for a while. We set out to strangle them by stopping their big, ball carriers.
“It worked perfectly on that day. Now we’ve got to try to do it all over again.”
Unbeaten Neath host Cross Keys in the top game in the Admiral Championship. That is one of three fixtures in that league, with table topping Bargoed head to Maesteg Celtic.
There are also games across the regional leagues in Division One.
Indigo Group PremiershipCardiff v Carmarthen Quins
Admiral ChampionshipMaesteg Quins v BargoedNeath v Cross KeysTata Steel v Bedwas
