'We've been here 150 years -  we want another 150': With legendary coaches, a culture change and turning the Arms Park into a fortress, this is how Cardiff Rugby are battling back from financial armageddon

Spend just a few minutes at Cardiff Arms Park and its history – as well as that of the team that plays there – hits you square between the eyes.

The north and south stands are named after legendary scrum-half Sir Gareth Edwards and late former backer Peter Thomas. Ex-players are also honoured in the form of the Gwyn Nichols Gates and the Hubert Johnson Trophy Room. Other stadium areas are named after Jack Matthews and Bleddyn Williams. Images of modern greats such as Sam Warburton and Martyn Williams adorn the walls too. In April last year, all that heritage was thrown into jeopardy.

The club entered administration after a botched takeover bid and had to be saved from falling out of existence by the Welsh Rugby Union. It was the latest disaster in the ongoing bonfire that is Wales’ national game.

But, from the ruins of financial armageddon and subsequent failed takeover bids, Cardiff are now preparing to enter their 150th year with a positive outlook. At a time of crisis in Welsh rugby, the club is a rare positive story as it prepares to celebrate a special milestone.

‘What I’m most proud of is how everyone pulled together,’ says interim Cardiff managing director Jamie Muir, who took charge following administration and the departure of Richard Holland. ‘We’ve come out of that adversity genuinely in a much better spot.

‘It’s pulled the whole club tighter. It’s unthinkable this club wouldn’t exist. It’s been here for 150 years. We want to look forward to the next 150. We've made some bad decisions in the past, but now we're focusing on the future. We’ve got a great opportunity.’

This time last year, it was more about survival than opportunity. Not only did Cardiff dice with death, they also lost coach Matt Sherratt to Wales on the eve of the new season.

Reaching the United Rugby Championship’s play-offs and strong crowds mean last term must be viewed as a success given the context of the wider Welsh rugby ecosystem where political wrangling and monetary troubles remain a constant accompaniment to the on-field action. Cardiff have punched above their weight and remain intent on doing so.

‘From the first phone call I had about administration, it was communicated to us confidently the club was going to be fine and the WRU was going to step in,’ says Cardiff lock Josh McNally. Formerly of Bath, McNally has been a fine signing, bringing experience to a young team and off the field, acting as a conduit between the squad and the hierarchy on political matters. ‘We’ve made a conscious effort to change the culture of the club,’ he adds.

‘When I first got here, the Arms Park clubhouse was almost off limits to the to the squad. I don't know why. We asked as players to be able to come in, which has allowed us to build a better connection with the club employees who work in the non-rugby side of the business. It’s small things that make a big difference - like having a coffee together.

‘I remember one of the first times I went in there after training and Sir Gareth was sat down with a coffee. That doesn’t happen anywhere else. When I was at Bath, we really tried to lean into the club’s history. Cardiff have never let that go. You’ve got to understand the identity of the club you play for. We had our 150th anniversary dinner last Friday.

‘The whole organisation seems in on it. We're going in the right direction. We've got a clear path of where we're going. Once it's like that, you're into a winner. There's a proper glint in everyone's eye at the moment around the start of this season and the growth of the club. It's just a nice place to be.’

Cause for cheer in Welsh rugby has been in short supply in the last three years, but Cardiff are providing a ray of light.

Daily Mail Sport spent a day in pre-season camp with the team now coached by Corniel van Zyl. The mood was jovial. New analyst Callum Macaulay was introduced by his nickname of Sean Dyche, due to his uncanny resemblance to the football manager.

‘This is a very special year for us,’ Van Zyl tells his players in a team meeting, urging them to take inspiration from former Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy’s new documentary. Van Zyl reinforces key messaging that Cardiff must ‘commit and compete’ as Hoy did in his track career and does so today amid his ongoing battle with terminal cancer.

‘Hoy talks about competing to be better every day,’ Van Zyl says. ‘For some of you, 150 might be just a number. But it should be at the forefront of your mind all the time that this will be the best season the club has ever seen. It's our time now to make our own history.’

Among the new additions at the Arms Park, where Cardiff play and train, for the new season is a pair of fake, plastic eagles designed to keep seagulls from damaging the artificial surface. Ice baths and saunas have also been installed to aid player recovery.

Irish strength and conditioning coach James Nolan – a PREM Rugby winner with Leicester – buzzes about and extols the virtues of the environment. ‘I made you run too far,’ Nolan shouts at the players as they undergo fitness testing, dropping to the ground to do ten press ups as punishment.

Player milestones such as engagements and new arrivals are celebrated. Former full-back Leigh Halfpenny, now employed as kicking coach, is mocked with an AI image after being given the freedom of his hometown Gorseinon for his incredible rugby achievements.

‘We can go there on socials now!’ Van Zyl quips. ‘Leigh has got the keys!’ In Halfpenny, defence coach Gethin Jenkins and No8 Taulupe Faletau, there is still a sprinkling of stardust from Welsh rugby’s last golden era at Cardiff.

But the days of Welsh Six Nations Grand Slams and the country’s four domestic sides lifting trophies seem a long time ago now. The WRU remains committed to cutting one of its four domestic teams by 2028, though it has said Cardiff and the Newport-based Dragons are in a strong position to survive.

As things stand, one of the Ospreys, in Swansea, or the Scarlets in Llanelli look very much at risk. Last season, a bid from Y11 Sports & Media – the owners of the Ospreys – to buy Cardiff collapsed, meaning the capital club is set to remain under WRU ownership for the foreseeable.

The WRU’s takeover of Cardiff saw them take on the club’s debt, which totalled circa £2.5million at the time of administration. A job advert for a new, permanent chief executive has been circulated.

What Welsh rugby needs desperately is a stable landscape so its teams can thrive. Right now, that is not the case amid calls for the WRU board to be disbanded and the governing body still insisting a move to three teams must happen.

‘The stormy water has probably not passed yet,’ says Van Zyl. ‘Everybody is swimming to survive. The players have grown thick skins. You close your eyes to outside noise.’ 

Cardiff will operate with a squad, including the academy, of around 50 players and a financial budget of just over £5million. Given Welsh rugby’s teams are underpowered compared to their rivals, success is hard to come by. As such, a repeat of last season’s sixth-place URC finish would be a fine achievement. Van Zyl and Jenkins are aware that will be tough. ‘Half the games we won last season were within seven points, so it could have gone another way,’ Van Zyl says.

Cardiff were only beaten once at home in the league in 2025-26 and their next challenge is to pick up more wins on the road. To celebrate turning 150, the club will play against the Barbarians while the milestone will also be marked by a return to elite European competition.

Champions Cup games with English giants Northampton and Bath are notable dates circled in the diary. A total of 150 trees have been planted at schools and clubs in the Cardiff area as part of a new sustainability strategy.

In the team room, which doubles up as a hospitality area on match days, a darts board provided by Welsh PDC star Jonny Clayton provides the entertainment. Cardiff hope Clayton will attend a game this season.

‘There's a huge aspiration to go a step further,’ Muir says. ‘Every team has to be selfish at the moment.’

Like their three domestic rivals, Cardiff are only able to live hand to mouth. It’s a case of season by season. There can be no long-term planning. The only certainty is uncertainty.

‘I get very, very frustrated,’ says McNally, when asked for his take on the Welsh rugby landscape. ‘I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall. There are troubles everywhere. It has been a testing few years, with one thing after another.

‘But I think we’ve done a pretty good job over the last 18 months of focusing on what we can control. We’ll carry on doing that and personally, I’ll continue to make sure this club survives till the day I stop playing.’

In the likes of McNally – who is also now a key figure in the Welsh Rugby Players Association – Cardiff have good people within their organisation. Maybe, just maybe, and following a brush with oblivion, the club will see another 150 years after all.