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While you can't argue with that view there are extenuating circumstances

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While you can't argue with that view, there are extenuating circumstances. He is not the only player to have experienced a World Cup hangover. In fact, if you had been picking the Welsh squad before Christmas you would have struggled to find a handful in form. Whatever else results from the mass trials being held by Graham Henry in Wales on Saturday, I can promise you that one absent player will still feature in the Six Nations this season.

Whatever else results from the mass trials being held by Graham Henry in Wales on Saturday, I can promise you that one absent player will still feature in the Six Nations this season. Scott Gibbs had to pull out of the trials because of a hamstring injury but, in any case, was not included in Henry'sNo 1 squad. Cardiff added four spectacular tries before the interval, only for Rumney to close the first half with another fine back movement which culminated in a try for full-back Christian Wills.The strong wind favoured Rumney in the second half and helped their cause. But Cardiff still managed five further tries, including a Simon Hill hat-trick, before, right on time, Enoch again carved out an opening at the posts for his second try.Rumney: C Wills (N Stork, 55); P Ford, J Fonfana, S Enoch, L Abdul; S Davies, G Downes; P Douglas (H Jeffreys, 60), C Miles (W O'Connor, 60), D Smith, M Peard, S Barber, S Greedy, G George (capt), B Atkin (D Simmons, 60).Cardiff: M Rayer (capt); S Hill, G Thomas (L Botham, 40), J Robinson, C Morgan; P Burke, S John; A Lewis (D Geraghty, 50), G Powell (K Ellis, 60), S Moore, J Tait, G Kacala, O Williams, S Williams (D Baugh, 65).Referee: D Davies (Llanbradach).. The Rumney three-quarter line enlivened proceedings considerably after 10 minutes, though, when good, tight work by Peard gave Davies the opportunity to drift a long, defence-splitting pass for Enoch to slice through for a superb try Davies converted.Cardiff's response was immediate. Mike Rayer, captain for the day, jinked and dummied and sent Gareth Thomas over for the first of an avalanche of tries.

Steve Williams and Greg Kacala thrived on the loose play and regularly broke the gain line for eager support-runners to stride away.Burke also enjoyed the glut of possession, and his busy stewardship in midfield kept the pressure on an overworked home defence. Rumney, in relative terms, have also become more cosmopolitan, and they now dare to include Welsh-speakers in their team, including the fly-half Simon Davies, one ofseven players who have figured at some level in the Cardiffshirt.The age of professionalism has also meant that fairytales such as the St Peter's gameare very unlikely to happen again, as the gulf between the full-time pros and the enthusiastic amateurs widens.Although Simon Enoch at centre and the second-row Mike Peard shone for Rumney in the first half, Davies missed touch far too often early on, and Paul Burke took advantage by slotting two penalties to set Cardiff on their way. Their secretary, David Escott, welcomed Cardiff with the tongue-in-cheek hope that they would not be too inconvenienced by having to play on a grass surface - a jibe at the mudheap that is Cardiff Arms Park today.Cardiff, since professionalism swept through the game, have imported heavily, with a Pole, a couple of Canadians, an Irishman and an Englishman who is reviewing his allegiances among their ranks. Seven years ago to the day, the minnows of St Peter's, a lowly Cardiff club, caused the biggest upset in Welsh Rugby Cup history by lowering the colours of the capital city big boys in an early-round encounter.

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