Shane Williams column: There’s only one man in my mind who can replace Wilson at Cardiff

By Shane Williams
WHAT a shambles it is right now at Cardiff Blues. I must admit I was very surprised to see Danny Wilson announce he is quitting at the end of the season and while I’m a little uncomfortable with looking at possible successors at Cardiff Arms Park while he’s still in the role, the realities of modern-day sport mean things move on very quickly.
Danny’s bed is still very much warm and I hope he can guide the Blues to a decent season in the rest of his time with the region. But, when the current campaign ends, who should take over?
Well, the first thing to say is that the financial realities at the Blues means big-name foreign coaches are out of the equation.
I can think of one man who would be a very decent fit – Sean Holley.
Sean is someone I know very, very well. In fact, he’s a good friend of mine and for those who think I might just be pushing the merits of a mate, let me tell you one thing right now. That is very much not the case.
Sean is someone who knows his way around the block and he’s hugely experienced in Welsh rugby. His stints with the Ospreys, Dragons and Scarlets show that and he’s also been involved with Wales and had success by helping bring Bristol into the Aviva Premiership.
Back to Sean in a second. First, more on Danny, right.
I’m a big fan of his, as I’ve made clear in previous columns. I think Danny is a very good coach, hands on, and someone who really throws his heart and soul into his job. I know for a fact, too, that he has the utmost respect of the players and the rest of the management at the Blues.

To a degree I can understand why he feels frustrated with the budgetary constraints he’s had to work with and I’m sure that’s why he’s decided to move on.
His loss will be someone else’s gain though and for all the trouble at the Blues, for me it remains an attractive job for a number of  reasons.
Yes, they’ve underperformed so far this season and in the last few campaigns, ever since Dai Young moved on really.
Yes, they haven’t got the biggest budget which means marquee signings are pretty much a non-starter. And, yes, they have members of their board – namely Peter Thomas – who have to be involved in every decision. All those things could understandably put a coach off the role.
But on the flip side of things, the Blues have unbelievable facilities at their Vale Hotel base. In the Arms Park they have a city centre ground which should be getting bigger crowds than it does right now and ultimately, they still have some world-class players.
Sam Warburton and Gareth Anscombe are top quality and young men like Ellis Jenkins, Rhun Williams and Seb Davies are the next generation of Wales internationals in my book.
There are positives to maximise at the Blues and that’s why I think Sean can be the one to do it. To succeed at the Blues I think it will take someone to come in and really roll their sleeves up.
For whoever takes the job, it would be easy for them them to make early excuses over this or that. That must not happen, though, and Sean isn’t a man to do that. It’s not his style.
I really think it would be a good idea to have a Welshman in charge of Wales’ capital region and Sean would be 100 per cent committed to the role. Like Danny, he enjoys getting his hands dirty as a coach and would throw himself into it. He loves a challenge – the Blues is most definitely that – and Sean has one of the most astute rugby brains I know.
There is also the added bonus that he is already familiar with most of the Blues squad and knows Matthew Morgan well from their time together at Bristol.
Time will tell what happens, of course. But whichever direction the Blues take with their new man, Richard Holland, and the board must make the right move.
Sean would be a good option and a safe pair of hands to guide the team forward from their current position. At the start of the season I made it clear I thought the Blues could have a good year. I really believed that, but the opposite has turned out true so far.
A rebuilding job is needed once again and if Sean was handed the bricks and mortar, I’m sure solid foundations would be laid pretty quickly.