Challenge Cup final: Cardiff Blues aim to give Danny Wilson perfect send off for steadying club after tumultuous period

Wilson is heading to Wasps as the Blues' popular coaching team is moving on

The Blues are in the final for the first time since 2010 (Getty)

One Welsh region’s loss will be another English Premiership club’s gain on Friday night as Danny Wilson’s tenure as Blues director of rugby comes to what feels like a premature end in the European Challenge Cup final in Bilbao.

Blues take on Gloucester in the precursor to Saturday’s main Champions Cup event between Leinster and Racing 92 in the biggest game for the Cardiff-based outfit since they last won the competition in 2010.

The intervening seven years have not been good.

Seven directors of rugby have already come and gone in a tortuous period for the region blighted by financial uncertainty, squad unrest and sustained underachievement both on and off the field.

After taking over from New Zealander Mark Hammett three years ago, Wilson appeared to be bringing some longed-for stability to the region until the mid-season announcement he will join Premiership Wasps as forwards coach in the summer due to irreconcilable differences with Blues’ Board over playing budgets.

Wilson will join Wasps (Getty)

Several Blues players feel bitterly let down by the decision to allow Wilson leave, along with his highly-respected attack coach Matt Sheratt, who will join rival Welsh region Ospreys in the summer.

“For us as a group it’s been a three-year journey and it would be massive for us to get to the end of it having achieved everything we wanted to achieve at the start of it,” said Wilson. “It’s been well documented that we’ve faced a huge amount of issues during the period we’ve been here but we’ve still managed to achieve our goals and that’s credit to this group of players and coaching staff to be in a position to go and win this trophy. If you’d offered me that at the start of the season I’d have snapped your arm off.”

Wilson will be replaced next season by unknown Australian John Mulvihill after former Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder declined the opportunity to take over at the Arms Park.

Mulvihill, a 52-year-old Australian currently employed as backs coach at Japanese outfit Honda Heat, was a surprise choice to take over from Wilson, who has a loyal following within the current Blues squad and who’s last game in charge will be an emotional affair in Bilbao.

“The final is a big occasion for us as a group and for the two great coaches we’re losing who have driven us to get to this stage,” said veteran Blues prop Gethin Jenkins, who extended his contract midway through this season and will be a key figure again next season as Mulvihill looks to settle in.

“It’s going to be a big occasion for the club and hopefully we’ll save our best performance for the final.”

The two sides took very different routes to Friday’s final with a Jason Woodward inspired Gloucester seeing off an understrength Newcastle Falcons outfit in a lacklustre Friday night semi-final at Kingsholm a fortnight ago.

Blues, by contrast, beat big-spending French giants Pau – who thrashed Gloucester in the pool stages – at a vibrant Arms Park and will head into Friday’s final confident of pulling off another shock.

21-year-old fly-half Jarrod Evans, who many believe is good enough to wear the Wales No 10 shirt sooner rather than later, will again be a central figure after his superb display in the semi-final.

Indeed the youngster’s form has been so good it has relegated current Wales international Gareth Anscombe to the role of second playmaker at full-back in recent weeks.

“Jarrod’s got some great skills and goes to the line really well,” said Anscombe. “He’s a really good distributor at the line and is a good running threat. He’s probably playing with a lot of confidence at the moment. It’s been good to see. I’ve been here since the start when he was just an academy guy.

“It means me playing at 15 and I guess we’ve got to do what’s best for the team. We try to play with two first receivers and that’s the way it’s working for us at the moment. It’s working well. Hopefully we can keep going with our relationship.”

Jarrod Evans has a big future (Getty)

New Zealand-born Woodward, unlucky to miss out on selection for England’s three-Test tour of South Africa this summer, will be among Gloucester’s principle attacking threats as Johann Ackermann looks to end his first season in charge with silverware.

Gloucester have developed a distinct attacking brand since Ackermann took over, willing to attack from set piece with innovative and inventive moves which have born plenty of fruit this season.

Another highly ambitious but underachieving club, Gloucester at least look set on the right path.

Woodward said: “One thing we spoke about in pre-season was where we want the club to be and the direction it needs to be heading in. There are things we need to work on.

“It’s got the right people in the right places and it’s heading in the right direction off the field. We’ve given ourselves a fighting chance this season.”