Editing Cardiff RFC (section)

====1980s====
Flanker [[Stuart Lane]], fly-half [[Gareth Davies (rugby union, born 1955)|Gareth Davies]], hooker [[Alan Phillips (rugby union)|Alan Phillips]] and scrum-half [[Terry Holmes]] from the club were chosen to tour with the Lions to South Africa in 1980, however Davies was the only one to start a Test match. The four went on to help Cardiff finally break their duck and win the WRU Challenge Cup (known as the Schweppes Cup for sponsorship reasons) with a 14–6 victory over Bridgend the following season, with Davies scoring two penalties and tries from centre Neil Hutchings and back-rower Robert Lakin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/106169|title=Match Report - Cardiff RFC|website=Cardiffrfc.com|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415085357/http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/106169|archive-date=15 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> They repeated the feat in 1982, winning on try count thanks to a score from prop [[Ian Eidman]] after a 12–12 draw again against Bridgend, with the other points coming from fly-half David Barry,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/106037|title=Match Report - Cardiff RFC|website=Cardiffrfc.com|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814024942/http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/106037|archive-date=14 August 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and also ended a 24-year wait by winning the Unofficial Welsh Championship, thereby completing the club's first (and so far only) league and cup double.

In 1983, Terry Holmes was again picked for the Lions, this time alongside second row [[Bob Norster]]. Both players were picked for the first team but Holmes was injured in the first Test and Norster in the second, ending their tours.
Cardiff had been knocked in the quarter-finals of the 1982–83 cup by eventual winners Pontypool,<ref name="rugbyarchive.net"/> but made it up for it with a third triumph in four years, beating Neath 24–19 in the final with tries from flanker Owen Golding and wing [[Gerald Cordle]] and 16 points from Gareth Davies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/105824|title=Match Report - Cardiff RFC|website=Cardiffrfc.com|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415104557/http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/105824|archive-date=15 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Then, on 12 October 1984, they beat Australia 16–12, thanks to eight points from Gareth Davies along with a penalty try and a score from [[Adrian Hadley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/105776|title=Match Report - Cardiff RFC|website=Cardiffrfc.com|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814031013/http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/105776|archive-date=14 August 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The same Australian side went on to complete a "Grand Slam" (beating England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland). Australia haven't played Cardiff RFC since, leaving the club with a perfect record of six wins from six games against the Wallabies (although Cardiff Blues did lose to Australia 31–3 in 2009). 1985 was very nearly another successful year for the club, beating Neath and Pontypool on their way to the Schweppes Cup final where, despite tries from wing Gerald Cordle and captain Alan Phillips alongside two penalties from Gareth Davies, they fell to an agonising 15–14 defeat to Llanelli.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/105728|title=Match Report - Cardiff RFC|website=Cardiffrfc.com|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415045313/http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/105728|archive-date=15 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> After this, Terry Holmes left the club to play rugby league.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Teams/Player?personId=100931|title=Terry Holmes - Cardiff RFC|website=Cardiffrfc.com|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415100632/http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Teams/Player?personId=100931|archive-date=15 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The club bounced back immediately however, beating Newport in the final of 1985–86 cup final 28–21, with Adrian Hadley scoring a hat-trick, Holmes's replacement, scrum-half Neil O'Brien, bagging another try and 12 points coming from the boot of fly-half Gareth Davies<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/105619|title=Match Report - Cardiff RFC|website=Cardiffrfc.com|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415055042/http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/105619|archive-date=15 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> in his last game for the club against Welsh opposition before retiring. One year later, Cardiff were part of the first Challenge Cup final to go to extra time, with the scores 9–9 after 80 minutes, all Cardiff's points coming from the boot of Davies's replacement, Geraint John. Gerald Cordle scored to break the deadlock but the conversion was missed and Swansea scored a converted try soon after, putting them in the lead. But a late drop goal from full-back [[Mike Rayer]] won it for the Arms Park side capping one of the most successful periods in the club's history, with five Schweppes Cup victories in seven years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/105515|title=Match Report - Cardiff RFC|website=Cardiffrfc.com|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415110206/http://www.cardiffrfc.com/Match/Report/105515|archive-date=15 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In 1987, the first Rugby World Cup was held in New Zealand. Cardiff props [[Dai Young]], [[Jeff Whitefoot (rugby union)|Jeff Whitefoot]] and [[Steve Blackmore]], wing Adrian Hadley, centre [[Mark Ring]] and hooker Alan Phillips all were selected in Wales's squad (Young was called up as an injury replacement) which finished third.
Cardiff's success began to tail off towards the end of the 1980s, with Adrian Hadley leaving for rugby league in 1988 and Gerald Cordle following in 89, and they could only manage two Cup quarter-finals and one semi-final appearance in the last three years of the decade. However, both Dai Young and Bob Norster were selected for the Lions tour to Australia in 1989, the only Lions team to come from 1–0 down to win the series. Young followed Hadley and Cordle to rugby league shortly after this, while Whitefoot and Norster both retired in 1990.