Much-travelled Young dubs Judgement Day debut a "must win" occasion

Thomas Young. www.inpho.ie

Since returning to Wales, there’s one particular date Thomas Young has made a point of marking in his diary each season.

“When the fixtures are announced, Judgement Day is one of the first things I look for, to see when and where it is,” reveals the Cardiff Rugby flanker.

“I know a lot of the other boys look forward to it as well, especially playing in the stadium. It brings an extra bit of excitement because everyone wants to play there.

“To have two Welsh derbies in a stadium like that, it’s a good occasion. The more people we get there the better.”

Young’s Cardiff will be involved in the first of the two games in the April 19 double header as they take on the Ospreys in a game which is crucial to both teams hopes of making the United Rugby Championship play-offs.

That will be followed by the club he is joining next season - Dragons RFC - locking horns with the Scarlets, who are also vying for a top eight spot.

So there’s plenty at stake.

“I think that’s why it’s all the more exciting this year because three regions are going for the top eight,” said Young.

“Whoever loses the Cardiff-Ospreys game, it becomes hard for them to make the play-offs.

“It’s a massive game anyway but there’s even more on it because both teams are going for the top eight.”

The occasion will be all the bigger for Young personally as, even though he has been a pro for well over a decade now, he has only played twice before at the Principality Stadium.

There was an outing for Wales against Fiji in November 2021 and then there was the 2023 Judgement Day meeting with the Ospreys when he scored two tries in a 38-21 victory.

However, there had been one other earlier appearance for him out on the famous turf.

That was back in October 2001 when he was a mascot, along with his brothers Owen and Lewis, to mark his dad Dai’s 50th Welsh cap against Italy.

"That’s my earliest memory of the stadium," he says.

"The three of us all ran out with little red shirts on. It was good for us as a family and a proud moment for us all. I remember the noise of running out. That sticks in the memory, for sure, just how noisy it was."

Reflecting on his rare outings at the stadium as a player, he says: “I have trained there a couple of times but obviously that’s different.

“You don’t realise just how impressive a stadium it is until you actually play there.

“Come game day, you feel the crowd on you. It’s one of the best stadiums in the world.”

Being back out there for Judgement Day would likely give him the opportunity to go up against fellow openside Justin Tipuric one last time, with the Ospreys legend retiring at the end of the season to move into a coaching role at the region.

“He’s one of the best to have played the game,” said Young.

“There are not many sevens that have got everything. A lot of people have said you could chuck him in the back line and he would do just as good a job as a normal back.

“I have played against him a handful of times and it’s the little tricks you pick up, even now, that he’s doing. That’s why he has been around for so long and is still at the top of the game.

“He is a step in front, he’s intelligent, He reads the game, he knows what’s going to happen before it happens. That’s why he’s achieved what he’s achieved and that’s why he’s still playing now and still one of the best around.”

The four-times capped Young - who is in his second spell with Cardiff after eight years at Wasps - will turn 33 next month but has no intention of joining Tipuric in hanging up his boots.

“I still enjoy training and I still get excited about playing,

“The body feels good and I am still pushing the boundaries with strength and conditioning.

“One thing I’ve learned over the last 18 months is it comes down more to what you do away from the game now, with things like getting your recovery right.

“If you invest in yourself, you prolong your career.

“I remember when I was a kid at Wasps having a conversation with Joe Launchbury and he said anything over 30 is a bonus.

“But now, if you put the work in behind the scenes, I think you will reap the rewards on the pitch.

“As long as I am still enjoying it and as long as I think I can play to that level, I’ll keep going. You know when your time is up. You know when you are done.

“It’s the enjoyment factor that keeps you going really and I still enjoy it. As a player, you know when it’s time and it’s not my time yet.”

Having rejoined Cardiff from Wasps in 2022, Young has now taken his tally of appearances for the club up to 60, scoring 18 tries.

“It’s been nice. Even though I was here when I was younger, I didn’t play,” he said.

“I’ve been able to play this time and there’s not many better grounds than the Arms Park on a Friday night.

“The fans have really backed us and turned out well. As players, we know we owe them one as much as we owe ourselves.”

A new challenge lies around the corner for the flanker - father to three young girls - with a move to the Dragons coming up this summer but he has other issues to attend to for now.

“I have got a massive end to my time with Cardiff first,” he says.

“Judgement Day will be a decider on how we finish the season and where we go. I am fully focused on that.

“Everyone wants to play in the best places and to the highest level.

“Judgement Day is another chance for us as a club to show what we are about, so that’s what we will try and go out and do.”