Champions Cup: Cardiff Blues anticipate place in 24-team tournament – Young

Venue: Brentford Community Stadium Date: Fri, 2 April Kick-off: 17:30 BST
Coverage: Live commentary BBC Sport website and app.

Interim boss Dai Young expects Cardiff Blues to be in a 24-team Heineken Champions Cup next season.

The regular league season has already finished with Cardiff Blues finishing fourth in Conference B.

Pro14 had expected to provide six teams to a 20-team tournament or eight to a 24-team format.

If the Champions Cup is confirmed as a 20-team tournament, the top three Pro14 sides from each conference are expected to qualify which would be champions Leinster, Ulster, Ospreys, Munster, Connacht and Scarlets.

If the 24-team logic is followed, Cardiff Blues would be joined by Glasgow, but official confirmation has not been forthcoming so there is still a possibility Blues will be in the second tier Challenge cup next term.

The uncertainty has been exacerbated by reports surfacing from South Africa that their top sides might be introduced into the Champions Cup next season.

They could reportedly qualify through the Rainbow Cup which starts at the end of April and finishes on 19 June.

Young believes the criteria has already been established and should not be altered.

“The one thing I have been led to believe if it is 24 teams in the Champions Cup, it is four from each conference at the end of this 2020-21 season,” said Young.

“We would expect that to be adhered to because that was the agreement prior to the season or that is my understanding of it.

“Knowing what is in front of us has been difficult, we have done what we have done and put ourselves into fourth place.

“If that is not good enough we will be disappointed, but we only have ourselves to blame. Time will tell what happens, it’s out of our hands and we can’t do anymore.

“The competition has finished and very rarely you get to a stage when it ends, you don’t know what the rules are and where you will end up next season.

“Covid-19 has put a strain on things and in the Pro14 it is tougher again because you have the cross-border element as well.”

Cardiff Blues travel to face London Irish in the Challenge Cup last 16 knock-out match on Friday.

Young’s future

Young also hopes to confirm his permanent long-term future in the next week after taking over as interim director of rugby from departed head coach John Mulvihill in January, 2021.

“We are well down the line on discussions with that and hopefully in the next week or so we can announce something,” said Young.

“We have always said Cardiff Blues and myself ventured into this and if we liked each other we would like to make that permanent.

“We have started talking now and hopefully it will conclude.”

Whether former Wales scrum-half Dwayne Peel could join Young at the Arms Park remains to be seen.

It was announced in December 2020 Peel would come back to Wales to join the Cardiff coaching staff next summer from Ulster.

It since emerged Peel is considering heading to Llanelli to link up with his old Scarlets region.

Peel has been part of the Ulster backroom staff since joining from Bristol in 2017 and was due to become Cardiff Blues senior assistant coach for the 2021-22 season with the region expecting him to honour his three-year deal.

“I don’t think we can say anymore than we have said,” said Young.

“He is under contract and we expect him to be here next season until we know any different.

“It has escalated over my head and the chief executive is dealing with that with Dwayne’s agent.

“I am getting on with my day job and concentrating on games.”