Cardiff Blues are delighted to announce a new partnership with Land Rover, which will see our Principal Partners support the Blues Cup.
The Cardiff Blues Land Rover Cup was launched at Land Rover Stratstone's brand new showroom on Hadfield Road, Leckwith, where the draw for the quarter final stage also took place.
Teams from around the region were present at the draw with Cardiff Blues stars Blaine Scully, Lloyd Williams and Ellis Jenkins on hand to pull the names out of the bag.
The pool stages of the competition, which is into its eighth year of existence, began back in September, with the finals day set to be held at Cardiff Arms Park in May.
The draw was made for cup and plate competitions for the under-12, under-13 and under-14 age categories.
WRU Rugby co-ordinator, Gavin Dacey, is over-the-moon to have the support of a brand of Land Rover’s stature and believes it is the perfect platform for the region’s promising young talent
“We’ve been making the draw for the Under-12, Under-13 and Under-14 quarter finals at the new Stratstone showroom. The teams have been playing for qualification since September and now we’ve got 48 teams included in this stage of the draw,” said Dacey.
“We’re lucky enough to be able to hold the draw here. The facilities are state-of-the-art and the venue is superb. It’s the first time we’ve been able to invite the participating clubs to an event like this and we couldn’t ask for anywhere better than this.
"To have Land Rover on board and the kudos they and their brand bring to the competition gives it much more power and makes it even more attractive to the clubs involved.
“A lot of the guys involved in the cup will go on to play in the Dewar Shield before eventually playing regional age grade and the Cardiff Blues senior team.
“There are already guys you see playing for the first team who have experience of playing in this competition, such as Dillon Lewis and Jarrod Evans, and hopefully in the future there will be more and more who will able to say they’ve done that.
“We’ve had around 1,500 players taking part in the cup so far this year, and as we approach the knockout stages "
Graeme Matthews of Land Rover Stratstone emphasised the importance of grassroots rugby to Land Rover and was excited at the opportunity to welcome children and coaches from clubs around the region to the brand new state-of-the-art showroom.
Matthews said: “To have Land Rover, as a manufacturer, backing this up is hugely important. I’ve watched the relationship grow over the last 12 months and it’s still getting stronger and stronger.
“It’s a great partnership, we work well together, and the enjoyment of rugby alongside Land Rover is a natural partnership.
“It’s absolutely fantastic to see representatives from the local clubs down here, and like everything, and as a brand Land Rover sees youth rugby as a key involvement, and grassroots rugby was an area they really emphasised on when the partnership began with Cardiff Blues.
“To get the young players and teams up here to launch here at the dealership is hugely exciting and we’re looking forward to see how they progress.”
Land Rover Stratstone’s new showroom is now open at 13-15 Hadfield Road, Cardiff, CF11 8AQ. For more information, please visit http://www.stratstone.cardiff.landrover.co.uk