BLUES TITO READY FOR BIARRITZ CHALLENGE
Paul Tito, the colossal ginger-haired Kiwi captain of the Cardiff Blues, is pleased with the progress his team have made so far this season – they have booked their place in March’s semi-finals of the EDF Energy Cup and are top Pool 6 in the Heineken Cup. But the lock knows that December’s double-header against French giants Biarritz will be a good litmus test to see whether they can go all the way in Europe’s most coveted prize.
In Pool 6 the Blues chalked up bonus point wins against Calvisano in northern Italy and at home against Gloucester in October. The victories lifted Cardiff to 10 points – five ahead of Biarritz, who they host on December 5 at Cardiff Arms Park – and stand a good chance of going further than they did last season when Dai Young's team reached the quarter-finals after impressive group stage victories over all three of their opponents.
It was another French team, Stade Toulousain, who former prop Young's team eventually fell to – in April they lost 41-17 in the south of France to the eventual runners-up and the 2008 Super 14 winners, who also pipped the Blues to the Heineken Cup in the 1995/06 final.
“We have moved on from last year,” says 30-year-old Tito, who moved to the Blues from his native Taranaki in June 2007. “We made steps in the right direction last year and there were many signs of improvement. We finished in the top eight of the Heineken Cup, gained good away wins in the EDF Energy Cup, though we didn’t make it through, and in the Magners League we came second.
“Now we have picked up from where we left off and we are trying to move the bus forward. We have done really well to get through to the semis of the EDF, as we played the top three sides in England. It was a daunting pool and we were lucky that Sale Sharks did not put out a full-strength team. Leicester Tigers and Bath both put good teams out though and we came away with wins. I think those victories gave the team the confidence to say, ‘we can go away to these tough places and get a result’.”
Tito had never been to Italy before the Blues’ Heineken Cup opener in October, but he stepped into the unknown and inspired his team to a 56-20 win and followed it up with a 37-24 win at home to Gloucester. “Calvisano, and going over to Italy, was an unknown for me – I didn’t know what to expect,” he says. “Some of the guys had been before but we started a bit slow and we got a couple of yellow cards which kept us at bay in the first half. But once we started going after the ball we got going, and managed to score a lot of tries. It was pleasing to come away with the five points.
“The Gloucester game was massive for us, one that we had been looking forward to for a long time. Playing at the Millennium Stadium for the first time in front a record 27,000 was awesome. It was a great spectacle, and they played their part by chucking the ball about. Both teams scored some fantastic tries. Stopping Gloucester getting any points was a huge achievement.
“If you had said at the start of the season that Cardiff Blues would have 10 points after two Heineken Cup games, I think half the world would have said ‘rubbish’. So we are happy where we are but we know we have to keep working at our game.”
The former New Zealand Under-21s skipper believes that back-rower Andy Powell and 19-year-old winger Leigh Halfpenny’s call-ups to the Wales team prove how good the team are developing. Tito continues: “It’s great that those guys have been promoted to the Wales team, but when you are playing well as a club team you can do that. It’s awesome that Leigh and Andy have been selected – it just shows that the Blues are heading in the right direction.
“I tell the guys that we don’t need individuals here, we need a good all round team performance. I think that is what we are getting now. And with a good quality squad everyone knows that if they are not performing, or playing well there will be someone ready to take their place now. It doesn’t matter who you are or how long you have been at the club.”
On December’s opponents, who they face away on December 13, he adds: “I do not know an awful lot about Biarritz to tell you the truth, but no doubt I will talk to the other boys who know more about them. But we know that when playing the French, at home, you have to be on top of your game. If you think you can tough them up you have got to have your best game of the season.
“Playing the first game in Cardiff is an advantage for us as it gives us a chance to get right into it. And we have got straight to it this year and we need to keep our performances right up there.
“We know that they will be coming over to Wales to try and knock us over. But we will have to be on our mettle to beat them. I am excited about the Biarritz challenge. Last year when we played Stade Francais over in France we came very close to beating them (they lost 12-6), and no one has managed that. We have proved that we are a team that can travel.”
Paul Tito, the colossal ginger-haired Kiwi captain of the Cardiff Blues, is pleased with the progress his team have made so far this season – they have booked their place in March’s semi-finals of the EDF Energy Cup and are top Pool 6 in the Heineken Cup. But the lock knows that December’s double-header against French giants Biarritz will be a good litmus test to see whether they can go all the way in Europe’s most coveted prize.
In Pool 6 the Blues chalked up bonus point wins against Calvisano in northern Italy and at home against Gloucester in October. The victories lifted Cardiff to 10 points – five ahead of Biarritz, who they host on December 5 at Cardiff Arms Park – and stand a good chance of going further than they did last season when Dai Young's team reached the quarter-finals after impressive group stage victories over all three of their opponents.
It was another French team, Stade Toulousain, who former prop Young's team eventually fell to – in April they lost 41-17 in the south of France to the eventual runners-up and the 2008 Super 14 winners, who also pipped the Blues to the Heineken Cup in the 1995/06 final.
“We have moved on from last year,” says 30-year-old Tito, who moved to the Blues from his native Taranaki in June 2007. “We made steps in the right direction last year and there were many signs of improvement. We finished in the top eight of the Heineken Cup, gained good away wins in the EDF Energy Cup, though we didn’t make it through, and in the Magners League we came second.
“Now we have picked up from where we left off and we are trying to move the bus forward. We have done really well to get through to the semis of the EDF, as we played the top three sides in England. It was a daunting pool and we were lucky that Sale Sharks did not put out a full-strength team. Leicester Tigers and Bath both put good teams out though and we came away with wins. I think those victories gave the team the confidence to say, ‘we can go away to these tough places and get a result’.”
Tito had never been to Italy before the Blues’ Heineken Cup opener in October, but he stepped into the unknown and inspired his team to a 56-20 win and followed it up with a 37-24 win at home to Gloucester. “Calvisano, and going over to Italy, was an unknown for me – I didn’t know what to expect,” he says. “Some of the guys had been before but we started a bit slow and we got a couple of yellow cards which kept us at bay in the first half. But once we started going after the ball we got going, and managed to score a lot of tries. It was pleasing to come away with the five points.
“The Gloucester game was massive for us, one that we had been looking forward to for a long time. Playing at the Millennium Stadium for the first time in front a record 27,000 was awesome. It was a great spectacle, and they played their part by chucking the ball about. Both teams scored some fantastic tries. Stopping Gloucester getting any points was a huge achievement.
“If you had said at the start of the season that Cardiff Blues would have 10 points after two Heineken Cup games, I think half the world would have said ‘rubbish’. So we are happy where we are but we know we have to keep working at our game.”
The former New Zealand Under-21s skipper believes that back-rower Andy Powell and 19-year-old winger Leigh Halfpenny’s call-ups to the Wales team prove how good the team are developing. Tito continues: “It’s great that those guys have been promoted to the Wales team, but when you are playing well as a club team you can do that. It’s awesome that Leigh and Andy have been selected – it just shows that the Blues are heading in the right direction.
“I tell the guys that we don’t need individuals here, we need a good all round team performance. I think that is what we are getting now. And with a good quality squad everyone knows that if they are not performing, or playing well there will be someone ready to take their place now. It doesn’t matter who you are or how long you have been at the club.”
On December’s opponents, who they face away on December 13, he adds: “I do not know an awful lot about Biarritz to tell you the truth, but no doubt I will talk to the other boys who know more about them. But we know that when playing the French, at home, you have to be on top of your game. If you think you can tough them up you have got to have your best game of the season.
“Playing the first game in Cardiff is an advantage for us as it gives us a chance to get right into it. And we have got straight to it this year and we need to keep our performances right up there.
“We know that they will be coming over to Wales to try and knock us over. But we will have to be on our mettle to beat them. I am excited about the Biarritz challenge. Last year when we played Stade Francais over in France we came very close to beating them (they lost 12-6), and no one has managed that. We have proved that we are a team that can travel.”
Labels: Biarritz, Cardiff Blues, Heineken Cup, Paul Tito
