The region’s academy manager is confident and hopeful for the future.
“The academy is in a really healthy position and we are contracting more players than ever despite being in really tricky financial times,” said the former Ospreys attack coach.
“Richard Holland and the board are fully supportive of us having home grown players for the future. That’s a great statement of intent and ambition.
“One of the reasons I took this job was the potential talent pool at our disposal. We won’t always get it 100 per cent right, but we’ve taken huge steps forward over the past few seasons.
“We’ve got 20 contracted players who are training really well at the moment, but the challenge is where is the competitive outlet for these young men at the moment given the Covid restrictions?
“Hopefully we can get some competitive games for them internally in south Wales to help them in the selection process.”
Rees has also built up a partnership with Clifton and Hartpury Colleges in England in the hope of retaining the Blues’ best academy prospects.
He said: “For the last few years I have worked closely with Clifton. We have a player up there who is contracted to us.
“Likewise, at Hartpury, we are looking at players who are contracted to Cardiff Blues and other players who aren’t contracted to us.
“The way I’ve done it over the last few years is I contract them at 16 and if I think they are good enough, I’ll back my judgement.
“They are then bound to us for their two years of sixth form at Clifton which was not done in the past.”
