Editing Cardiff RFC (section)

====Dai Young====
The off season was all change for Cardiff. Rudy Joubert returned home to South Africa and Dai Young became player-coach of the club. Internationals Rob Howley, Neil Jenkins, Craig Quinnell and Jonathan Humphreys all left the club as well. The Welsh/Scottish League was abolished, returning to just nine Welsh teams in the top-flight, and Celtic League games no longer counted towards the domestic league.

In the first two months of the season, Cardiff managed to improve on their Celtic League record from the previous year, winning four out of seven games and progressing to the knockout stage. The quarter final was away to Edinburgh on 30 November and, despite a dreadful first half performance that saw them 19–6 down at the break, a much improved second half performance saw them record a 26–22 win, and go through to the semi-finals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/club/3038841/Harris-instigates-Cardiffs-unlikely-recovery.html|title=Harris instigates Cardiff's unlikely recovery|first=Robert Cole at|last=Meadowbank|date=1 December 2002|access-date=9 May 2018|website=Telegraph.co.uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413102011/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/club/3038841/Harris-instigates-Cardiffs-unlikely-recovery.html|archive-date=13 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Their decent start to the season collapsed after that however, with Cardiff failing to score at home for the first-time in 30 years in a 31–0 defeat in the Heineken Cup against Northampton in December.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/dec/16/rugbyunion.heinekencup2002031|title=Heineken Cup: Cardiff 0 - 31 Northmapton|first=Paul|last=Rees|date=16 December 2002|website=The Guardian|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411201742/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/dec/16/rugbyunion.heinekencup2002031|archive-date=11 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> January was a disastrous month for the club too, with a 32–10 thrashing away to Neath in the Celtic League semi-finals,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/2393814/Jarvis-delivers-for-dominant-Neath.html|title=Jarvis delivers for dominant Neath|first=Graham Clutton at The|last=Gnoll|date=9 May 2018|access-date=9 May 2018|website=Telegraph.co.uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413143255/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/2393814/Jarvis-delivers-for-dominant-Neath.html|archive-date=13 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> despite the home team making 12 handling errors in Cardiff's 22. Two weeks later the club's first ever Heineken Cup whitewash was completed with a record 75–25 defeat away to Biarritz.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2394606/Round-up-Biarritz-in-try-spree-as-Cardiff-crumble.html|title=Round-up: Biarritz in try spree as Cardiff crumble|date=9 May 2018|access-date=9 May 2018|website=Telegraph.co.uk|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413074843/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2394606/Round-up-Biarritz-in-try-spree-as-Cardiff-crumble.html|archive-date=13 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
Domestically, the Blue and Blacks' final season as a top-tier rugby team was less disappointing. They reached the semi-finals of the Cup, although they capitulated in a similar fashion to their Celtic League semi-final, this time 44–10 away to Llanelli. In the League they finished third, 3 points behind Neath and 11 behind Bridgend.