 Martyn Williams is relishing the chance to play in a Cup final |
Flanker Martyn Williams says Cardiff Blues' forthcoming Amlin Challenge Cup final against Toulon is the biggest game in their seven-season history. But he says that cannot make up for the disappointment of missing out on the 2008-09 Heineken Cup final. A year ago Williams earned the sympathy of world rugby when his failed penalty shoot-out kick sent the Blues out in the Heineken semis against Leicester. He said: "Unless we win the European Cup nothing can make up for last year." However, Williams says reaching the Amlin Challenge Cup is some consolation in a season that saw them go from Magners League no-hopers to the brink of a place in the play-offs.  | All too often I've been sat watching finals and it will be nice to be part of it |
That challenge ended on Sunday when the Blues beat Munster 13-12, but fail to overtake the Irish province in the race for the inaugural play-offs that take place on Friday and Saturday. The Ospreys host Glasgow on Friday and Leinster travel to Munster on Saturday. Williams said: "Unless we can win the Heineken Cup [in future] nothing will make up for last year. It was one of those things - we did brilliantly to get where we did, but it was a tough way to go out. "But this does make up for it in some way. Our season from three or four months ago was frittering out. "All of a sudden we've had a sniff of the semis and we've got a huge game in the [Amlin] final and we would have taken that even three or four weeks ago. "Toulon are second in the Top 14 and that's no mean feat so we know it's going to be one of the biggest games in the Blues' history and they are the games you want to be involved in. "All too often I've been sat watching them and it will be nice to be part of it." | 606: DEBATE |
Williams says going to Marseille having had a weekend's rest at the end of a hectic season could be a double-edged sword. He fears the Blues could lose the momentum that has seen them win a record seven consecutive games, but acknowledges the players' bumps and bruises have a chance to heal. He said: "Sometimes it is nice to keep playing. It's a difficult one - whether that rest stops momentum or not. "Some of the boys are carrying bumps, ideally we wanted to get in the [Magners] semis, but it's not to be, but what that will do is give the boys who are carrying a few injuries a down week. "And then it's going to be a huge occasion in Marseille to play Toulon and I know it will be a big two weeks in the build-up to that."
| 
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?