WALES legend Mark Ring insists Cardiff Blues' new interim director of rugby Dai Young needs to do a root-and-branch review of the region's development pathway to get success.
Young has taken the helm after previous head coach John Mulvihill departed the region for personal reasons. And former Cardiff great Ring, who won 32 caps for Wales as a maverick outside-half, would like to see Young put the foundations in place for a brighter future.
“Dai needs to undertake a thorough review of the Cardiff Blues academy,” said Ring, below.
“The mini and junior kids underpin Cardiff Blues. What is the quality coming through?
“Who is going to be good enough to compete at the level where they want to win silverware? The bigger picture concerns me.
“It's boring and predictable at the moment.
The kids aren't even watching the game and at the moment they've stopped playing. They try to copy what they see on the TV so everything becomes predictable with very little vision, skills and players can't even execute simple two on ones.
“I think they need to focus more on basic skills and vision at age grade level.”
Since Young originally left Cardiff Blues in 2011 the region have gone through six different head coaches. While Ring is far from convinced with Young's appointment, he is hopeful the Blues will improve.
“Dai has come into this job in a similar situation to what he was in with Wasps when he took over there,” said Ring. “They had a load of injuries to experienced players, they were cash-strapped, and ultimately they were sucked straight into a relegation battle.
“It's as if he's jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire if you compare those two situations.
I would have liked to have seen the Blues go for someone like Pat Lam, Vern Cotter or Milton Haig but I doubt the budget was there for that.
“I hope the players are given the freedom to express themselves. The board should have some long-term vision of where they should go.
“The key to all this is producing a better calibre of player which is why Dai needs to look at the development pathway.”
