Cardiff coach eager to see what Dan Parks has to offer

CARDIFF coach Dai Young has revealed that he was chasing Dan Parks' signature for two years before signing him from Glasgow for this season and he is confident that the Scotland internationalist will thrive in the Welsh cauldron.

The former Wales prop, who has rejuvenated Cardiff in recent seasons, insisted that Parks' place in the team was not guaranteed, as he would be vying with Ceri Sweeney, but said: "We wouldn't have signed him if we didn't think he would be a big part of our squad.

"I never guarantee any player a start, but if he plays like he was playing last season then it's going to be very hard for Ceri to keep his jersey. Dan has settled in very quickly and is quite eager to get going at Cardiff now. He has obviously had his highs and lows in recent years, and ten (stand-off] at Cardiff is not an easy place to be because if he's not performing people will certainly put him right around here.

"But I have been wanting him for two years because we needed someone who could kick well and put us in the right areas of the field, but also a player who didn't just kick the leather off the ball all day.

"With players like Jamie Roberts, Leigh Halfpenny and Tom James outside him we have to move the ball and play rugby.

"I think Dan has been a victim of what happens a lot in rugby: people spending too much time questioning a player's weaknesses and not enough looking at his strengths. Every player has weaknesses, but Dan has far more strengths in his game in my opinion. I know because he used them against us.

"Whenever we used to play Glasgow we would target him as a player we had to stop, and we failed every time. So I'm looking forward to seeing what he can bring to Cardiff."

The Blues open their campaign at home to Edinburgh, which will make for a quick return to rival billing for Parks and his fellow Scotland contender Phil Godman. Young added: "That is a great game to start with because Edinburgh are a team that like to play with width and that is the style of rugby we're trying to develop as well.

"The Magners League is going to be more competitive than ever this season. People used to say it wasn't a patch on the English Premiership and the intensity maybe wasn't there in the Magners week after week, but that has changed over the last couple of years and the step up to the Heineken Cup is not as big as it used to be.

"You used to be able to look at some games in the Magners League as big games and others that you would expect to win, but that is not the case now either. Edinburgh have been improving year on year and Glasgow really made a mark last season, and it is now very difficult to win up there."