At the end of their debut season at their new home, Cardiff Blues became the first Welsh team to lift a European trophy, following the 28-21 win against Toulon in front of a record crowd at the Stade Velodrome, Marseille.
At the end of their debut season at their new home, Cardiff Blues became the first Welsh team to lift a European trophy, following the 28-21 win against Toulon in front of a record crowd at the Stade Velodrome, Marseille.
This victory completed an eighth succesive win for Caridff Blues towards the end of the season and a fantastic turnaround for the team's fortunes after a difficult start to 2009/10.
Indeed the glorious day in the Marseille sun was no doubt the highlight of the season for many Blues fans, but was only the culmination of great effort by the squad throughout the sometimes unrewarding campaign. The entire season included some notable scalps for the Blues, including defeating Heineken Cup champions Toulouse, beating all three Welsh regions (the Scarlets three times and Dragons twice!), seven victories against Guinness Premiership opposition, back to back wins against Ulster along with other postive results against Munster and away in Glasgow for the first time in years.
It's debatable which of the below was the most important win of the season, but you can now vote for your favourite win of 2009/10 on the Blues official site - whether you were amongst the 16,000 that saw the win over Ospreys, or 50,000 that saw Tito lift the trophy in Marseille- here's your chance to vote for your favourite. As a quick reminder below is a recap of each shortlisted success. Make sure you vote now on the right hand side of the home page.
Ospreys (H)- Magners League - Cardiff Blues 20 Ospreys 12 - Cardiff City Stadium
The first visit of the Ospreys to Cardiff City Stadium drew a big crowd of nearly 16,500 people... and those in attendance were not disappointed. With 7 British and Irish Lions from the previous summer in the starting line ups, a great game was promised. The game was open and close in parts but the Blues were victorious with tries from Tom James and Gareth Cooper.
Gloucester (A)- LV= Cup Group Stage - Gloucester 26 Cardiff Blues 27 - Kingsholm
On a cold wet Sunday, the day after Wales had been beaten by New Zealand, the Blues faced familiar foe Gloucester and a very familiar outside half in Nicky Robinson. Sadly ex-Blue Robinson left the field early but did not tarnish the exciting game that followed. With a mix of youth and experience the Blues put on a great performance in difficult conditions, the scoreline swapped between a Gloucester and Blues win, but eventually the final whistle blew and the Welsh side were this time victorious by a single point.
Toulouse (H)- Heineken Cup Group Stage - Cardiff Blues 15 Toulouse 9 - Cardiff City Stadium
The Blues enjoyed a fairytale day in the sunshine when Toulouse visited in the Heineken Cup 1/4 final the previous season, but who could've expected that the Blues would succeed in beating the French giants the second time on the trot? There were no tries in the match but it didn't detract from the win over the European legends.
Dragons (H)- Magners League Christmas Clash Cardiff Blues 42 - Dragons 13 - Cardiff City Stadium
A mediocre first half from the home team was followed by a barn-storming second, in which the Blues touched down 5 times, recording a big win over their local rivals, the men of Gwent.
Harlequins (A) - Harlequins 20 Cardiff Blues 45 - Heineken Cup Group Stage - The Stoop
In January the Blues travelled to a sunny Richmond for a convincing win over Harlequins, the Blues scored a clutch of tries, including Gareth 'Alfie' Thomas' last for the region before he headed to Rugby League. The Blues were disappointed not to have reached the knock out stage of the Heineken Cup but the important win gave them qualification to the Amlin Challenge Cup and was the crucial first step on the road to lifting this trophy.
Newcastle (A)- Amlin Challenge Cup 1/4 Final - Newcaslte Falcons 20 Cardiff Blues 55 Kingston Park
After recording a convincing home victory against the side from the North East earlier in the season at home in the LV= Cup, the Blues went to Newcastle buoyed by their earlier success. The team put down a marker in the Amlin cup with this win over Newcastle, with tries coming from Laulala and Sweeney as well as 2 from prop Filise, this match was a statement of intent for the team on the road to the final.
Scarlets (A) Magners League - Scarlets 16- Cardiff Blues 39 - Parc y Scarlets
The Blues travelled to Parc Y Scarlets on 2 occasions last season but the second was the most impressive, running in 5 tries for a bonus point win over their west-Walian rivals. The match has been described as a catalyst for the ways the Blues would perform at the tale end of the season and it also acted as a platform for the Blues to really show off their tantalising midfield partnership of Roberts and Laulala.
London Wasps (A)- Amlin Challenge Cup Semi Final London Wasps 15 Cardiff Blues 18 Adams Park
After days of sunshine, rain fell on Adams Park as the two teams faced off for the last step on the way to the Amlin Challenge Cup final, the game was dominated by the forwards with very little ball reaching the backs, a stand out performance from Xavier Rush helped the Blues reach the final after arguably their toughest battle of the season.
Toulon (A)- The Amlin Challenge Cup final Cardiff Blues 28 Toulon 21, Stade Velodrome
In Marseille, the sun shone on what was to be the perfect day for the Blues, a fantastic match watched by a record crowd, saw magic from Toulon's centre Sonny Bill Williams as well as great tries from Halfpenny, Roberts and Davies. The Blues lifted the trophy and became the first Welsh side to secure a European title.
There's certainly plenty of memories there, make sure you vote today.