Cardiff scrum-half Johan Mulder // Photo Credit: Inpho Photography

Mulder All-in on Cardiff’s Historic Play-Off Push

Life in Wales has already far exceeded Johan Mulder’s expectations, but the best may yet be to come.

The South African joined Cardiff Rugby amid little fanfare in the summer of 2024 and appeared to be coming on board as very much the third choice scrum-half. But he has gone on to make 33 appearances over the past two seasons while establishing himself as a pivotal figure in the squad.

Now he has the opportunity to help the club make history by reaching the BKT United Rugby Championship play-offs for the first time. Any kind of victory over the DHL Stormers at the Arms Park in Friday night’s final game of the regular season would secure a spot in the top eight. For Mulder, it would no doubt be all the sweeter to achieve that goal against opponents from his homeland.

Born and raised in Pretoria, he played his junior rugby with the Vodacom Bulls before moving to the diamond mining city of Kimberley to link up with Currie Cup side the Griquas, while he also had a couple of Challenge Cup outings for the Lions. Then, out of the blue, came the call from Cardiff.

“I was actually shocked when they showed interest in me. I didn’t think a team like that would even consider me,” he admits. “I hadn’t played URC at all and it was still early in my career. So I was very, very happy when Cardiff said they were interested in me. It’s a really prestigious club with a lot of history. There are legends of the game that have played here. So, it was an easy choice for me. Coming here was a massive honour.”

Reflecting on the progress he has made, the 26-year-old said: “I am really delighted. It’s been incredible. My game has really developed here. In South Africa, it’s mostly sunshine, it’s hot. Even in the winters, it’s not bad. Coming here, getting used to a bit of wind, a bit of rain, new coaching systems, different styles of play, it just develops your game and helps you grow as a player.

“At the beginning of last season, I maybe forced a few things, but I feel calmer and more confident now. I have learned a whole lot in terms of understanding how to control the game, when to make better decisions. It’s been really good. I was used to just running the ball from everywhere, so I’ve had to adapt to a lot more of a kicking game.

“Also, if you make a mistake over here, the other teams are a lot better at capitalising on that, so it’s a lot more about control. I feel my kicking game and my control have developed a lot. It’s just been a really good experience.”

Mulder hit “a bit of a road block” – to use his own words – when he broke his jaw in training in November, consigning him to just over a month on the sidelines. But, since returning to action, he has been a virtual ever present in the match day squad, impressing with his distribution, defence, tactical kicking, instinctive eye for a gap and even his jackal work over the ball.

“I am trying my hardest to just keep on building on my performances and be the best that I can for the team and keep on growing as a player and learn from the other guys,” he said. “I think I have been doing well so far, but I still feel I have a lot more to give and a lot more improvement to do. So we will see where it goes.”

He added: “It was a big move coming over here, but I have no regrets at all. I always wanted to go abroad to develop my game and grow as a player and it has been lovely here. Cardiff is a great place to come and play rugby. Everybody is very friendly and welcoming and they all try to help each other. It has come to feel like home.”

Mulder’s time in Wales has also delivered a momentous moment off the field, with his wife giving birth to their first child – baby daughter Lana – in March. “It was probably the best feeling in my life so far,” he says. “I am really excited for the new journey.”

He’s also hoping that there’s a play-off journey to come with Cardiff’s fate in their own hands as they welcome the second-placed Stormers to town. “I think the vibe will be amazing, running out at the Arms Park with a full crowd. I am really looking forward to it,” he said.

Johnny Matthews says he will always support Glasgow Warriors as he looks to sign off with the club by winning another BKT United Rugby Championship title.

The hooker will bring down the curtain on a seven-year stay with the Scottish side at the end of this season when he moves on to join French outfit Montauban. But first he will be aiming to help them claim the league crown for the second time in three years.

He played a key part in them moving back to the top of the table on the weekend as he touched down twice in a 40-17 bonus point victory over Cardiff Rugby at Scotstoun. That took his tally of tries for the club up to a remarkable 53 from 107 appearances with his prolific finishing off driving mauls having become a real trademark. He now stands third on Glasgow’s all-time list, with only

George Horne (65) and DTH van der Merwe (54) ahead of him.

He has one more regular season fixture to come – away to Ulster Rugby on Friday night – and then it’s into the Play-Offs, with a home Quarter-Final already guaranteed. For the 32-year-old Matthews, it will be the final chapter of a memorable story.

“It’s just been a joy to play for this club and it’s a club I will always support,” he said. “My mum and dad have travelled far and wide with the club and I think they will always hold it in a special place in their hearts. I’ve loved my time in Glasgow and it’s going to be tough leaving. I’ve been here for the last seven years. So to say goodbye, I think it’s probably going to get harder and harder every week.

“It’s certainly going to be emotional. But we’ve got four games to go, all being well, and we’ll make the most of it. That’s where my focus is and trying to finish the season as a double URC champion – that’s what my aim is.”

Matthews’ popularity with the Glasgow fans was demonstrated by the reception he received when he came off following his try double against Cardiff. “It was lovely to get the ovation from the crowd and to get that moment. It’s something I will always cherish,” he said. “It was an emotional week. We touched on that, the boys leaving and how much they have given to the shirt.”

Born and raised in Liverpool, Everton fan Matthews was more into football as a youngster, but things changed when he attended the city’s St Edward’s College, the school which produced England rugby stars Mike Slemen and Kyran Bracken.

That led to him playing for Liverpool Collegiate RFC, before linking up with Leeds as a teenager. From there, he had spells with Manchester-based Sedgley Park – scoring 29 tries in 26 appearances – Otley and Rotherham as he trod the rugby boards in the north of England.

Then, in 2017, came the big move as he headed up to Scotland, where his mother was born.

He spent two years with Edinburgh club Boroughmuir before being signed by Glasgow, initially as cover during the 2019 World Cup and then on a permanent basis. He has gone from strength to strength over the years, making his mark with his all-action approach and predatory prowess.

In May 2022, he became the first Glasgow hooker to claim a hat-trick of tries, against Zebre Parma. The following year, he set a new club record, as the first player in Warriors history to touch down five times in a match, during an EPCR Challenge Cup victory over Dragons RFC. Then, in the 2023-24 campaign, he topped the URC try-scoring chart with 14 as Glasgow won the title.

Reflecting on his prolific strike-rate, he says: “It’s something I’ve tried to have as part of my game and I have always been able to find the line. But I’ve also been lucky enough to play in sides that had fantastic driving mauls. I am always quick to credit the lads in front here, especially with the maul, because without them the man at the back wouldn’t be able to get the ball over the line. We do work really hard on it in training and I think that shows through.”

Matthews was 26 before he signed his first professional contract, but he has made up for lost time as a real late developer, starring for Glasgow and winning a couple of caps for Scotland. “I think it shows there’s definitely a different pathway to get into the professional game rather than just going through the Academy system,” he said. “It’s maybe some hope for those boys that didn’t quite make it in the early stages, that if you keep plying your trade and keep performing, the opportunities will come later on.”

The BKT United Rugby Championship Play-Off race is going down to the final weekend of the regular season with five teams fighting it out for four spots.

Leinster Rugby and the Vodacom Bulls have now joined Glasgow Warriors and the DHL Stormers in booking their places in the knock-out stage.

That leaves the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions, Munster Rugby, Cardiff Rugby, Ulster Rugby and Connacht Rugby competing for the four remaining spots with just four points separating the five of them.

Meanwhile, Glasgow are back on top of the table, having jumped above the Stormers by claiming a 40-17 bonus point victory over Cardiff at Scotstoun on Friday night.

It was a real return to form for them after an unhappy tour of South Africa where they failed to pick up a point in two heavy defeats.

Reflecting on the six-try win over Cardiff, skipper Kyle Steyn said: “We absolutely needed it.

“We have got a tight circle and we know what matters to us. We just kind of stuck with that. We knew whose opinions we needed to count on and trust and it was good to bounce back in front of our fans.

“We needed to rediscover or recommit to what our DNA was and we will just keep doing that.”

The Player of the Match award went to scrum-half George Horne who said: “We pride ourselves on the way we play and sticking to our DNA.

“You’ve maybe not seen the best of us in the last couple of weeks and that’s what we were desperate to do in front of our own fans.

“It’s hard work and determination and then a little bit of class as well. It was great to be back at home at Scotstoun and it was a special night.”

Giving the view from the Cardiff camp, head coach Corniel van Zyl said: “We wanted to have a go at them, but, unfortunately, we turned the ball over too many times in contact and they just kept coming.”

The Stormers have dropped down to second after their dramatic 38-38 draw with Ulster in Belfast where they earned a share of the spoils through a last minute penalty try. Along with Glasgow, they are now guaranteed a home quarter-final in the play-offs.

Leinster are up to third after triumphing 31-7 in their top four showdown with the Lions at the Aviva Stadium where they pulled away in the final ten minutes in front of a 16,259 crowd.

The Bulls were the big movers of the weekend, leaping from eighth to fourth thanks to their eight-try 54-19 victory over Zebre Parma at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld.

Then come the five teams battling it out for the last four play-off spots. It was Connacht’s 26-7 bonus point win over Munster in Galway which ensured the Race to the Eight would go down to the wire in the final round.

As for the teams that were already out of the running, the Hollywoodbets Sharks thumped Benetton Rugby 46-7 in Durban, while the Ospreys beat the Scarlets 27-20 to clinch the Welsh Shield and Edinburgh Rugby defeated Dragons RFC 24-15 at Rodney Parade. .

Connacht keep their hopes alive

Connacht boss Stuart Lancaster says Part One is done, but they still have to complete Part Two if they are to make the URC play-offs.

Lancaster’s charges kept their hopes very much alive by claiming a 26-7 bonus point victory over Munster at a sold out Dexcom Stadium in Galway.

They remain in ninth place, but they are just a point off eighth with a trip to Edinburgh to come next Friday on the final weekend of the regular season.

A win in the Scottish capital could see them through to the play-off quarter-finals depending on results elsewhere.

Commenting on the win against Munster, head coach Lancaster said: “I was delighted with that performance, the first half in particular, when I thought we were excellent.

“To get the bonus point in the end was a big relief. It’s Part One done, we’ve still got to go and do it next week. Edinburgh are on a bit of a roll. They are playing really well at the moment, so we know it’s going to be a tough game.

“We’ve got to get ourselves ready and hopefully give ourselves a chance to get in the play-offs.”

The Player of the Match award was received by Connacht No 8 Sean Jansen, who scored his tenth league try of the season.

He said: “There was massive pressure, but that’s why you play rugby.

“We talked about it all week how we needed five points out of this game. The boys wanted it so badly. It’s so good.

“The boys are just so tight. They are in every Monday, they want to get better every day. It’s just such a class place to be in. I am loving it.”

Morgan the magnificent signs off in style

Jac Morgan has been labelled a sporting rarity after marking his final home appearance for the Ospreys with a late match-winning try against the Scarlets.

The Gloucester-bound flanker forced his way over just five minutes from time to secure a 27-20 victory at Bridgend’s Brewery Field following a second half revival from the visitors.

That meant he was then able to lift the URC Welsh Shield, with the win taking the Ospreys above Cardiff in the table which is based on results in derby matches over the season.

The Wales and Lions back row star also picked up the Player of the Match award after leading from the front as skipper.

Summing up Morgan, Ospreys head coach Mark Jones said: “He’s just a great human being, first and foremost. He’s so humble, but then he’s a world class player.

“That’s quite a rarity in modern day sport, to get somebody as humble as that, but be as high profile as he is. He is one of the best in the business.

“He has a massive impact on the group, both off the field and on it. He scored the winning try, coming up from underneath that pile-up. His performance was exceptional, both leading the team and individually. We are so pleased that it has finished off well for him.”

As well as being Morgan’s last home game for the Ospreys, it was also their final match at the Brewery Field ahead of next season’s move to Swansea’s St Helen’s.

Over the course of the last two years, they have recorded victories against the Stormers, Ulster, the Sharks, Cardiff (twice), Sale, Edinburgh, Dragons, Zebre and now the Scarlets at the Bridgend venue. It has been some happy hunting ground.

Reflecting on the emotions after claiming the latest scalp – which saw two-try Wales fly-half Dan Edwards rack up 22 points – Jones said: “It was relief in the end.

“We made hard work of it with our accuracy. We have played much better in other games and lost, but on this occasion we got the job done.”

After trailing 17-5 at half time, the Scarlets fought back to lead going into the closing stages, only to be denied by Morgan’s decisive late score.

Their interim director of rugby Nigel Davies said: “I am hugely frustrated, but I’m not frustrated with my players. I can’t ask any more of them. They played really well. They went at it and gave everything they have got. Unfortunately, they didn’t get the just rewards.”

Tough finish for Ulster

Ulster coach Richie Murphy hailed his team’s 38-38 draw with the Stormers as “pretty special” for the URC, but admitted it was tough to take.

Murphy’s men overcame a 20 minute red card for skipper Iain Henderson and a 17-7 deficit to lead 38-31 with just 45 seconds left on the clock at Belfast’s Affidea Stadium.

But, in a dramatic finale, the Stormers were awarded a penalty try for Nathan Doak making shoulder to head contact with Leolin Zas as he prevented the winger from getting the ball down.

That meant both sides ended up taking three points from the rollercoaster contest.

Giving his verdict on a game which featured a hat-trick of tries for his South African winger Werner Kok, Murphy said: “I thought there was massive character from the lads.

“The commitment they have shown to each other over the last number of weeks has been really good.

“We were really happy with how we attacked the game. We put some really good things together in attack and scored some really nice tries. It was a tough way to finish the game. But, when we do look at that last bank of defence, we will see things in there that we can do better and ultimately that’s what probably cost us in the end.

“For two teams like that to come out with a 38-38 draw is a pretty special day for the league, but we really needed the five points and, just at the back end of the game, it just went away from us.”

For the Stormers, there was a 21-point haul from two-try fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who is now level with the Lions’ Chris Smith as the league’s leading points scorer this season with 147.

Giving the perspective from their camp, winger Wandisile Simelane said: “It was a very tough game. Coming out here and getting a draw, I am not going to say we are happy about it, but it’s better than a loss.”

Reflecting on missed opportunities, he said: “We left out something like three pick up and gos right on their try line and two phases later we are defending down on our own 22. So it’s very disappointing. It’s a work-on for us as we look to finish up the tournament strong.”

Having already booked a home quarter-final, the Stormers will now head for Wales to take on play-off chasing Cardiff at the Arms Park next Friday night, looking for the win which could see them regain first place from Glasgow.

“One of our goals is to finish top, 100 per cent,” said Simelane.

“It makes a massive difference at play-off time, in terms of travelling up to Europe or playing back at home in Cape Town.

“We definitely want to play all our play-off games in Cape Town. I guess one thing we can handle is winning next week and see how the table ends up.”

What’s coming next?

A white knuckle ride, that’s what is coming next!

The make-up of the play-offs could be decided on Friday night, with three of the five contenders in action then, as Cardiff welcome the Stormers to the Arms Park, Ulster host Glasgow and Connacht travel to Edinburgh.

Then, on Saturday, the other two hopefuls – Munster and the Lions – lock horns at Limerick’s Thomond Park.

Elsewhere, Leinster and the Bulls will be aiming to book home quarter-finals as they entertain the Ospreys and Benetton respectively.

Round 18 also features the final Welsh derby of the season as the Scarlets and the Dragons meet in Llanelli, while the Sharks take on Zebre in Durban.