RUGBY UNION: IESTYN NEEDS CONFIDENCE, NOT THE CHOP

CARDIFF need to seriously reconsider the way they are handling Iestyn Harris.

The boy is struggling at the moment, as was all too painfully clear by his performance against Glasgow last week which ended with him being substituted.

He looked low on confidence and uncomfortable, despite a summer spent trying to iron out some of the problems he went through last season after his switch from rugby league.

But I cannot fathom the wisdom in dropping him as Cardiff did for their match at Connacht on Friday night. The last thing Iestyn needs at present is more blows to his fragile confidence.

For me the main problem with Iestyn is that he is still learning the game of rugby union. What he needs is a run of matches, a big chunk of games under his belt.

That way he will appreciate the subtleties and complications of rugby union - which are a million miles removed from rugby league.

Iestyn himself admitted this week that he struggled last season because he didn't really know enough about the game, or even the rules.

I've got news for him. I've been involved in the game for 40 years and I still don't understand all the rules!

But what I did develop early on - like every other played who grew up playing the 15-man code - is a feel and instinct for the game.

Iestyn doesn't have that. He has the natural instincts and inclinations of a rugby league player. So the only way he will ever get to develop the thinking of a rugby union man is to actually play more matches.

Cardiff should know that.

Of course, clubs have more than one issue to address at a time and I have a lot of sympathy for their new coach Dai Young.

Dai is at a big club and is under pressure to get results and if he feels the team is not functioning smoothly, with Iestyn struggling to call the shots, then it's perhaps no surprise he's picked Nicky Robinson instead.

But in the long term Cardiff will benefit from giving Iestyn all the match experience he can get. After all, he is a magnificent natural talent as we saw in flashes last season and we all remember from his brilliant days in rugby league.

I saw enough last season to know what a fantastic asset Iestyn could be to Cardiff and Wales. But he needs to work on certain things, like his tactical kicking out of hand, his long-distance clearances, his tendency to run across field even when there are no runners offering the option of a pass, and his defensive awareness.

He will only do all those things on the field, because training sessions are never quite the same.

If you fall off the horse, you must get straight back on - which is why Cardiff must not mothball Iestyn.

Interview:

DAVID WILLIAMS

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