By Paul Jones
Cardiff Rugby fans are bracing themselves for confirmation of the departure of director of rugby, Dai Young.
A decision on the future of Young – who remains a hugely popular figure within the fans base – is said to be “imminent” by chief executive Richard Holland.
Cardiff ‘s backs and back row forwards may now be back in full training ahead of the 2023-2024 season, but there is still no indication who will be coaching them in the new campaign.
Having seen long-serving defence coach Richard Hodges go to Zebre Rugby at the end of the season, they also saw forwards coach Duane Goodfield quit and scrum coach Rhys Thomas head to Gloucester, the suspension of Young 94 days ago left only Matt Sherratt and Richie Rees active on the coaching staff.
The return to training was delayed as a result of the situation.
Holland, CEO at the region since January 2012, was involved in a board meeting on Thursday, 20 April at which it was agreed to suspend Young following “unforeseen circumstances”.
Since then, the 55-year-old Young has been subject to an internal enquiry and effectively been on gardening leave.
The confirmation of his suspension came the day before the final game of the season, a win over the Ospreys on Judgement Day at Principality Stadium.
Cardiff Silent On Dai Young . . . As Scarlets Confirm Leigh Halfpenny Is One Of 15 Leaving
That triumph won the URC Welsh Shield for Cardiff and earned them a ticket into the EPCR Champions Cup – the first time in over a decade they had been the highest-placed Welsh region.
Last week, Holland revealed from Greece, where he has been on holiday with his family, that an announcement on Young’s future was “imminent”.
With unconfirmed allegations of ‘bullying’ being mooted as the reason Young was stood down, he will rightly be seeking to clear his good name – he has been coaching for 20 years at Cardiff and Wasps – as much as holding onto his job.
At the time of his appointment as interim head director of rugby after the sacking of John Mulvilhill in April 2021, Holland said: “We were acutely aware of the need to bring on board an experienced director of rugby and Dai ticks all the boxes.
“He has an enormous history at the Arms Park, is passionate about the team and has added further vast experience while at Wasps for nine years. We are delighted to welcome him back to Cardiff Blues and are excited about the impact he can make within our set-up.”
He was similarly gushing when Young accepted a long-term contract, believed to have been a four-year deal, saying: “We were delighted to bring Dai on board on an interim basis in January and it was always our intention to make it a long-term arrangement.
“We were wary of rushing into a decision in January but now, having undertaken a thorough review and seen at first hand the impact Dai has made, I have no doubt that he is the ideal fit. In just a few months, he has made a significant impact to our environment both on and off the pitch, and we are all very excited about the impact he can have here in the coming years.”
The silence from @Cardiff_Rugby over Dai Young grows ever more deafening. Eight days since his suspension as director of rugby and still not a word of explanation from the club. There's communication for you…
— Peter Jackson (@JackoRugby) April 30, 2023
Despite all those hopes for the second coming of Young, he could be in line to become the fourth director of rugby or head coach to be let go by the region during Holland’s reign. Another, Danny Wilson, declined to accept a contract extension.
Phi Davies, now World Rugby’s director of rugby having taken Namibia to two World Cups, was the first to go before his contract ended, leaving Paul John and Dale McIntosh in temporary charge.
Then, ex-All Black Mark Hammett departed six months into his three-year deal.
He went on to coach Japan, the Sunwolves and has spent the past four years in charge of the Highlanders in Super Rugby. Little-known Aussie Mulvihill was the next to leave six months into his third season, clearing the way for Young’s return.
Mulvihill was joined by assistants Jason Strange and Tom Smith on his coaching ticket, but Strange left after a year to head to St Helens Rugby League club, and Smith wasn’t offered an extension to his initial three-year deal.
In May, Holland admitted the region had “cashflow pressures” and in July the accounts for the year ending 30 June 2022 showed a loss of £2.2m – up from £1.6m the previous year.
Today is three months since Dai Young was suspended, and three months until the eve of the 2023/24 United Rugby Championship season.
While there's an acknowledgement that processes need to be completed and hurdles have had to be overcome, it's a ridiculously long time in limbo.
— Cardiff Rugby Life (@CardiffRugbyWeb) July 21, 2023
Club chairman Alun Jones admitted, “focus must now shift to the future” in his submission to Companies House explaining the accounts.
The club is also still paying back a £5.5m loan struck on their behalf by the WRU to keep them afloat during the COVID period.
Against such a perilous financial background, made all the worse this year by the passing of Life President and chief benefactor Peter Thomas, any move to pay off to Young is merely going to add to their cashflow burden.
If Young stays, then there will need to be a clearing of the air between him and the players, as well as with him and the CEO and the board.
If he leaves – and there has been nothing to suggest the region will be able to sack him – then he is likely to do so with a year or more of his remaining ‘long-term’ contract having to be paid up.
That will leave Jones needing to chase further investment into the region, and Holland scrabbling around to find a new coaching team for the 2023-24 season, which kicks-off in three-months time, when Cardiff host Benetton Rugby, the side that beat them in the quarter-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup last season.