Yesterday The Cardiff Arms Park was the setting for an amazing victory for both the Cardiff Met Men and Women’s rugby teams. It was all part of the first annual Cassadian Cup which brought the 4 University teams within the Blues region together to take part in a Varsity in order to raise money for their respective teams.
By Denise Cusack
Yesterday The Cardiff Arms Park was the setting for an amazing victory for both the Cardiff Met Men and Women’s rugby teams. It was all part of the first annual Cassadian Cup which brought the 4 University teams within the Blues region together - Cardiff Met, Cardiff University, Cardiff Medics and the University of South Wales (USW) - to take part in a Varsity in order to raise money for their respective teams.
The 15 a side games were 40 minutes long with 7 matches in total it made for a great day out. The atmosphere was electric with friendly banter and chants coming from all corners of the stand.
Cardiff Met Women’s rugby team beat off Cardiff University Women and University of South Wales Women’s team to end up in the final with Cardiff Uni Women whom they crushed with a 56-0 win. Cardiff Met Men’s team saw off USW and Cardiff Medicals to end up in the final with their very close rivals Cardiff Uni.
The atmosphere built to an electric point with more entertainment off the field rather than on as Cardiff Met fans and Cardiff Uni fans battled against each other in a chorus of chants and team songs. After a tense second half where Cardiff Uni caught up with Cardiff Mets first half performance with a second half try and conversion Cardiff Met eventually managed to come out on top with a lucky timed penalty. There were some brilliant performances from new talent Chris Levesley (full back) and Joe Thomlinson (hooker) who was a cornerstone of for Cardiff Met that day.
Whilst talking to some students from each University it was widely agreed that the day had been a success and it is something that should maybe happen more frequently. We caught up with some players on the side-lines and all were in agreement that it was a fantastic opportunity to play on The Cardiff Blues home ground.
Cardiff Met's Director of Rugby, Chris Davey said "Cardiff Met put in some fantastic performances with a development squad, including 11 freshers. The day as a fantastic experience for the young side, being able to play in such great facilities so early on in the season".
Ex Cardiff Met Rugby star, Miles Normandale who is now signed with the Blues made an appearance to cheer on his ex team mates. Miles wasn’t the only prominent face in the crowd as the Dean of Cardiff Met was also spotted too and looked like he was enjoying the banter between the fans.
The crisp October day was ended with a presentation ceremony to crown Cardiff Met the Cassadian Cup champions.
View Cassadian Cup Photos >>
