CARDIFF and Vale College’s Rugby Academy, which is run in partnership with Cardiff Blues at the BT Cardiff Arms Park, has got off to a winning start this year with a series of impressive victories.

The CAVC Academy is rapidly on its way to becoming the largest rugby programme of any college in Wales, with the potential for 100 learners taking part. This will enable to College to field four teams.

In its first match against Cowbridge Academy, the CAVC team won a 38-5 victory, dominating the game despite being underdogs from the beginning. The CAVC Academy controlled the game with lineout and scrum giving the back line opportunity after opportunity to attack their Cowbridge counterparts.

CAVC Director of Rugby Martyn Fowler was asked to name a Man of the Match but declined. Instead, he pointed to the performance of 16-year-old Dan Watts from Dinas Powys, 18-year-old Sol Khan from Cardiff, 16-year-old Jake Thomas from Cardiff, 16-year-old Jacob La-Roche from Cardiff and the 17-year-old team skipper Joel Ringer, from Penarth, for their strong performances.

Flushed with the success of their first game, the CAVC Rugby Academy then went on to the Welsh Colleges 7’s tournament at Coleg Sir Gar. Here they won three out of four games, including a 12-5 victory over Sir Gar.

Last week, the CAVC Rugby Academy – with a slightly changed team to ensure everyone gets a chance to “earn their shirt” - played Coleg Gwent. The fixture had to be brought to a close on 45 minutes as the CAVC team reached a point difference of 50 plus, beating Coleg Gwent 66 points to 12 with 25 minutes remaining.