Dai Young and Dwayne Peel 'perfect fit' for Cardiff Blues

Dai Young is a former Wales captain

Former Cardiff Blues fly-half Ceri Sweeney believes Dai Young returning to his old region and working with Dwayne Peel could help the struggling side.

John Mulvihill is set to leave left his head coach role with immediate effect during his third season in charge.

Young is a potential candidate to return to the region he led between 2003 and 2011.

"I believe it is an exciting combination and the perfect fit at the moment," said Sweeney.

"Dai is available and has so much experience over the years at Cardiff Blues and Wasps.

"Cardiff Blues have an exciting young group of coaches in the set-up already with the like of Rhys Thomas and Richie Rees there and bringing Dwayne adds to that.

"They could do with somebody who has that stability and knows the game inside out. Dai has that calmness and he can build that coaching team around him as well."

Former Wales and British and Irish Lions scrum-half Peel will join the Cardiff Blues coaching staff next summer from Ulster. Peel has been appointed as the senior assistant coach responsible for attack for 2021-22.

Young could be an obvious replacement for Mulvihill having been in charge at the Arms Park between 2003 and 2011 and having left his nine-year stint as Wasps director of rugby in February 2020.

Sweeney played under Young at Cardiff Blues where they won the Challenge Cup in May 2010.

"Dai is a shrewd operator," said Sweeney, who played 113 times for Cardiff Blues and won 35 caps for Wales.

"He will not just jump at the chance, he will have a good look at it. He will view it as what is available to him.

"He has all the tools and the experience but he will weigh everything up and not just jump straight into it."

Sweeney admitted a change had been brewing at Cardiff Blues.

"I think the writing had been on the wall after five defeats in the last seven league games," said Sweeney.

"It has been below par and difficult to watch over the Christmas period.

"He has take over from Danny Wilson after the big high of the Challenge Cup win in 2018 and if you look back, they have not really improved since then.

"Cardiff Blues are our capital city region. I know the rest of the region feeds into Cardiff but they play out of the capital city.

"They should be in the top two out of the four Welsh regions, if not top. They should be performing much better than they have for the last few seasons."

Ceri Sweeney (right) and Richie Rees celebrate winning the Challenge Cup with Cardiff Blues in 2010

Blues board concerns

Former Cardiff and Wales wing Adrian Hadley believes the role of the Cardiff Blues board must be looked at.

"You will have a list as long as your arm for people who could take that appointment," said Hadley.

"John Mulvihill was held accountable for results on the playing side but the question will be who is accountable for appointing him in the first place.

"Are those same people going to be appointing this new person? Will the appointment have autonomy over the rugby section because the Blues are renowned for putting somebody in place and then the hierarchy make decisions above them.

"What budget will they have to attract to that person and can he bring his own coaching staff in? There are loads of questions to be answered at that region again.

"You never know what is going on at the Blues, it's an absolute nightmare. The people who appointed Mulvihill, which I believe was a bad decision, are still in control and that's a worry for me."