Calvisano v Cardiff Blues

[An Tarbh]

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Calvisano v Cardiff Blues
Venue: Centro Sportive San Michele
Date: 11 October 2008
Kickoff - 14:35, Live Sky Italia/Sky Interactive</div>

Xavier Rush will miss Cardiff Blues' Heineken Cup opener in Calvisano after failing to recover from knee surgery.

The Blues captain has played just 40 minutes of rugby this season against Connacht in the Magners League.

"His injury is a big blow," said coach Dai Young. "He is a vital player for us for us but his knee flared-up after the Connacht game."

Jamie Robinson, Mama Molitika and Ceri Sweeney are all injury doubts and Young will name his final 22 on Friday.

Talisman Rush was a key member of the Blues side that qualified for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals last term.

The All Black back-row, who also inspired the Blues to runners-up spot in last season's Magners League, underwent an operation in August after tearing the cartilage off the back of his knee cap.

"We now hope that Xavier will be back for our game with Gloucester at the Arms Park the weekend after next," said Young.

Young Wales winger Tom James will not be considered for the Blues' Pool 6 Italian job due to a groin problem but Tongan back-row Ma'ama Molitika returns.

Young suggested that a number of players who missed the Sale victory in the EDF Energy Cup with minor injuries will return.

Jason Spice and Gethin Jenkins could also be ready for action while Wales centre Tom Shanklin will be desperate to win back his 13 jersey from Jamie Robinson.

Ross Johnson, Rhys Williams and Sam Warburton remain on the Blues' long-term injury list.

Former Wales captain Jonathan Davies warned: "This could be a banana skin for the Blues.

"Everyone expects them to win but if they have serious hopes of progressing from the pool stages they really need a bonus point win."

BBC Sport

 

[Vambo]

Cardiff to scrape a narrow victory.

 

[RC]

Yeah, as much as the teams on paper shouldn't really proclaim a close game, cardiff have been very inconsistent and away from home Calvisano could run a very entertainingly dangerous game.

 

[An Tarbh]

their form hasn't been up to much this season so it could be a potential banana skin although I still think they'll scrape through.

 

[riders of the storm]

Looks like Cardiff did the job. It was close early, but they pulled away.

56-20 the fulltime score, pretty impressive.

 

[Thingimubob]

20 - 56 phew we really scraped that one... :lol:
heh, good win for the Blues, good start, especially leading into the Millennium Stadium match against Gloucester next sunday.

 

[cyRil]

Cannot WAIT for that. There's like 20 of us going down, it's gonna be awesome!!

 

[Thingimubob]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cyRil of Ospreylia @ Oct 11 2008, 03:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Cannot WAIT for that. There's like 20 of us going down, it's gonna be awesome!![/b]

ach you lucky bugger
loads of my mates are in Canada on a rugby tour (I would be going, but my parents are putting my sister through uni, so they couldn't pay the £1200 + for it - wayyy overpriced) and another one says he'd prefer to 'watch it on the telly' so have no-one to go with... I've got a season ticket and everything...

 

[Sir Speedy]

That's a terrible game to start with. Stuffing a no-hoper side by such a score could make the Blues complacent. They've got Glawstorz next, right? Ah, no worries then! If it'd been a <strike>half-decent</strike> better team I'd have worried about Cardiff maybe slipping up.