Hooker, Marc Breeze, who joined Cardiff Blues from Aberavon RFC in October 2011, signs new contract with the region
Having started his career at blindside flanker, Marc played in the back row for Wales at U16 level, captaining the side. However, Breeze converted to hooker under the guidance of former Wales hooker, Garin Jenkins, where he went on to earn caps at U19 and U20 level, forming part of the 2006 Grand Slam Junior World Cup side alongside current team mates James Down, Bradley Davies and Lou Reed.
His early career saw him play for both Aberavon and the Ospreys before leaving Wales, to join London Welsh. Breeze returned to Wales, after struggling with the commute, to play for Aberavon in 2010, which saw him reach a total of 170 appearances for the Premiership side and soon after signed with the Cardiff Blues.
On his signing and subsequent contract extension Marc Breeze comments on his enjoyment playing with the Welsh Capital side,
“When I received the phone call last October to be part of the Cardiff Blues team I could not have asked for more. I had played against the boys regularly and played with some of them through the age grades, so I fitted in quite quickly.
“I played twenty-seven games in thirteen months and also played my first Heineken Cup matches with the Cardiff Blues, which has been great for me.
“The facilities at the Blues are the best in Wales. You can’t compare them with the ones at some of the other clubs that I have been to. Everything is in one location, which makes it so much easier. There’s no interruption to training and the kitchen is on site, which makes it all very easy to manage our nutritional intake.”
Speaking of the new coaching set-up, Breeze who has a degree in Sports Science from the University of Glamorgan and aspires to coach later in life having gained his level two coaching qualifications, said,
“I appreciate what Phil has done since he came in at the beginning of the season. He has put an emphasis on fitness and like most of the boys in the squad I am in the best shape of my career.
“The boys have been buying into his values all the way. He knows how hard we work and once our luck turns it will be good for us. Phil has given me confidence to play.
“There is a good set of boys here and great values. We work really hard for each other. We have a young team and if we keep it going we will benefit from it in a year or so.
“I am happy here and I am really settled with the boys. It’s important to get on with the coaching staff, if they can give you confidence in your own ability then it shows on the pitch and Phil has given us that.”