Cardiff stars must avoid second-season 'roadblock'

Mackenzie Martin progressed from part-timer to Test starter last season

United Rugby Championship: Cardiff v Zebre

Venue: Cardiff Arms Park Date: Friday, 20 September Kick off: 19:35 BST

Coverage: Live on, BBC Two Wales, the BBC Sport website and app, followed by report and reaction on the BBC Sport website and app

Matt Sherratt knows he has a battle to ensure his crop of rising Cardiff stars do not suffer second-season syndrome in the new campaign.

The club saw seven players make their international debuts last season.

Cardiff also provided Warren Gatland with the largest contingent from one region - 10 - among his Wales squad to tour Australia in June.

It capped a staggering, rapid rise for the likes of Mackenzie Martin, Alex Mann, Elis Bevan and Evan Lloyd, who rocketed from the part-time Welsh Premiership to the Six Nations and then facing world champions South Africa in less than nine months.

Now Cardiff head coach Sherratt must safeguard against any complacency at the Arms Park.

"That's the challenge. If you look at the likes of Mackenzie Martin, Alex Mann and Cam Winnett, they've been thrust into international rugby," said Sherratt.

"I couldn't be more pleased that they have, but we've got to temper that with the fact they're young players who are still developing.

"I watched Mackenzie play for [semi-professional] Cardiff against Newport last September. Nine months later, he's playing against the world number one team Ireland and touring Australia.

"Their climb has been massive. For them, it's realising that rugby, like any job, isn't a straight line to success. They're going to have bumps and injuries along the way and they'll have non-selections because there's competition for places.

"We'll see their resilience this second season, when there's more expectation on them - not from me, but from themselves. It's how they react when there's a bump in the road, which is inevitable as it's a bumpy career path."

Cardiff trio Keiron Assiratti, Alex Mann and Cam Winnett featured through the 2024 Six Nations

Efan Daniel and Jacob Beetham also won first Wales caps as well as Winnett, Martin, Mann, Bevan and Lloyd, swiftly following props Corey Domachowski and Keiron Assiratti before last year's World Cup. The season also brought Wales recalls for Ben Thomas and James Botham.

"Last season we had academy players coming up a year early who have then played so well they got picked for Wales," said Sherratt.

"I'm keen that, as a young player, you just enjoy playing without the expectation and overthinking around selection.

"We're looking at the long-term for these players. When they're 25 or 26, which is still five years away for some of them, it's making sure they're still on an upward curve - not having a season like no other last year and then hitting a roadblock."

Mann is among a handful of players who will miss the season opener against Zebre on Friday through injury, along with Josh Adams and scrum-half Bevan.