“I know we are missing a lot of internationals but I still think it is going to be a good game,” said Shanklin.
“The players that haven’t been selected have a point to prove, guys like Jonah Holmes, Sam Davies, Jarrod Evans, Josh Turnbull etc – these players arguably deserve to be in the Wales squad because of form but haven’t been selected because you can only pick a certain amount. They will all want to prove a point and want to show Wayne Pivac that they are playing well and want to stay in his thoughts.
“The [Wales] coaches will still be watching this game, although the New Zealand game is a week away, they will still be keeping an eye on it just because of injuries which can happen throughout a campaign. These players will not want to switch off and you have to use the disappointment to put in a good performance.”
Both teams have encouragingly showed a willingness to throw the ball around this season but Shanklin believes the game will be won and lost in one key area at the Arms Park.
“Whoever can play off quick ball, that is going to be key,” he predicts. “It’s going to really upset the Dragons losing so many forwards, similarly with Cardiff losing two centres and a number 10.
“It’s great news that Jarrod Evans is back [for Cardiff] but I think whoever wins that gain-line battle and whoever is able to play off front-foot ball is going to be the victor. You’ve got two good teams who want to attack behind but as we’ve seen with Cardiff and the Dragons, both have struggled to attack with slow ball.
Cardiff players celebrate their win against the Sharks last weekend
“There are some real interesting battles like Sam Davies at 10 and Jarrod Evans at 10 – two guys that would want to push themselves into the autumn squad if there are any injuries or maybe just for Wayne Pivac to think about in the Six Nations.”
With Dai Young’s side entering the match on the back of a gutsy 23-17 win against the Sharks while the Dragons snatched defeat from the jaws of victory to lose to the Stormers 10-24, Shanklin thinks home advantage sways the odds in Cardiff’s favour.
“Going into it, I think Cardiff Rugby will be the favourites with the game they had with the Sharks and with it being at home. I really thought we were going to see a Dragons win at the weekend, especially after doing all the hard work, and after an incredible victory at Connacht. Just when you think this is the turning point for them, it doesn’t work out for them, maybe this is the game that is going to spark off a run of wins?
“Often you get teams that put in a big performance after huge losses and I certainly think we will see a reaction from the Dragons because it is a game they will look back on at the end of the season and think ‘these are the games, if we start winning these games we can start pushing for play-off places’. But they aren’t quite there yet. I think they will get there because I think they are the region that can improve the most.”
Shanklin says it has taken Cardiff nearly a decade to unearth a style of play which suits them but fans are now starting to see the game plan evolve under Young’s tutelage.
“Some key individuals play a massive part in that,” claims Shanklin, who made 114 appearances for the Arms Park outift. “Willis Halaholo has been in really good form. They are a mobile team and they play with width, play a lot of runners off nine from the channels and their phase play is really sharp.”
Halaholo is one of 10 Cardiff players unavailable for the clash but Shanklin believes there are number of players who don’t get due credit for their efforts in the regional jersey.
“Aled Summerhill is really good and so is someone like Jason Harries on the other wing. They seem to be direct off set-piece, then they look to third or fourth phase to break teams. They use a lot of decoy runners. They are not a massive team in terms of size and power. You have seen instances like against the Bulls where they did get physically dominated in the second half, I think at 16-3, that is a game they should have won.
“When things don’t go right they don’t have the size and power to fall back on – they have to play with a bit of width and play outside of that guard area around the ruck and maul.
“As we saw against the Sharks, when they have got quick ball they are looking really dangerous and all of a sudden we are seeing a style that’s suits the way they play.”
Shanklin feels that with Young at the helm, there is a clear vision in place for them to move forward in a positive manner.
“It’s great to have his experience and I think he has given them a game plan he wants. I think he has given them the foundations to play, I think he has given them a blueprint to what he wants and he has got a clear idea of what he wants. I think the direction he has given them is something they have lacked for a quite a long time,” he said.
Tom Shanklin is part of Premier Sports TV team bringing rugby fans every game live across the United Rugby Championship throughout the season.
Premier Sports coverage of all four Welsh Regions games home and away this weekend includes the big Welsh derby Cardiff Rugby against Dragons live and exclusive on Premier Sports 1 from Cardiff Arms Park this Saturday afternoon from 4.45pm.
Rugby fans can also tune into Scarlets v Benetton (Fri Oct 22 Premier Sports 2 from 7.30pm) and Ospreys v Munster (Sat Oct 23 Premier Sports 1 from 7.25pm).
