Posted by It’s the end of the Team Report and having looked at the rest of the squad we finish with assessing the glory hunters; the wingers and full-backs.
It’s a settled group with no additions or departures since the summer of 2019, unless you count Dan Fish’s switch from player to player/coach, but it’s still a competitive position with some serious pace, a good amount of power and plenty of finishing ability.
Of course the back three is led by Josh Adams, who had an off-season to remember becoming a father and British & Irish Lion, on the back of a season where he added three tries in 10 games to his Cardiff tally. The scary thing for United Rugby Championship defences is that he’s still only 26-years-old, meaning he’s only getting better on the way to the World Cup in two years.
Hoping to join him in France having made his mark in the 2021/22 campaign is Owen Lane who has had such bad luck with injuries when it comes to international call-ups. However, after strong finish to last season he started both Wales tests against Argentina over the summer, scoring a try in the second, and is ready to kick on again this season at the still young age of 23.
Pushing them all the way will be a man with an excellent try scoring record for Cardiff as Aled Summerhill currently sits tied-sixth on the post-2003 top try scorers list with 28 tries in 74 games across all competitions. Fit again after a broken wrist, his out-and-pace will be a key weapon in the new expansive attack under Dai Young and Matt Sherratt.
A man who has enjoyed a renaissance under that attack, but for his power rather than his speed, is Jason Harries. Utilised often as a hard carrier on phase one in this new attacking system, but also a threat off his wing during phase play, he came into his own during the Rainbow Cup and will be a great option to have throughout this season if he maintains that form.
Hoping to break into the first team after three seasons of bit-part roles is Harri Millard who I have included in the back three as I know believe he should be considered a winger first, ahead of a centre. His main attribute is his undeniable pace, up there with the quickest over 15 yards, and the additional freedom of playing on the wing and choosing when to roam the field seems to suit his game, while simultaneously protecting him defensively.
Up there with them as the quickest off the mark is, of course, Matthew Morgan as we shift to the full-backs. A player who enjoyed some of his best attacking years during Matt Sherratt’s first spell at the club, Morgan could take on more of a playmaking role in the new attacking system, but it remains his defence that is the area of the game he needs to work on the most after a dip in performance last season.
Pushing him for the 15 jersey is Hallam Amos who was man-of-the-match as Wales beat Argentina in the first test over the summer and has been putting in consistently good performances at club level. A confidence player who is more than capable of beating multiple defenders when he is firing, as well as having a very handy attribute in his left boot.
It’s a quality senior group of back three options, and with Jacob Beetham, Iwan Pyrs-Jones, Jake Thomas and Cameron Winnett appearing for the Rags and Pontypridd so far this season, with Theo Cabango likely to follow them at some point, the future is certainly bright. The tries will keep on rolling in!
Cardiff Rugby Life 