Danny Southworth believes the team are heading into Friday night’s derby against the Scarlets with confidence, momentum and a real sense of purpose as a crucial festive period begins at the Arms Park.
The 26-year-old loose-head joined Cardiff Rugby ahead of last season after arriving from Exeter Chiefs and has quickly established himself as a key figure in the Blue & Black pack. His consistent form was rewarded this autumn with a first senior Wales call-up, culminating in an international debut during the recent campaign, a moment Southworth describes as “crazy” but hugely motivating.
“Getting that chance with Wales was incredibly special, but my job now is to perform for Cardiff,” said Southworth. “That starts this weekend, and if I do that, whatever happens after will take care of itself.”
“Cardiff has helped me massively,” he added. “The consistency and belief from the coaches to put me out there every week has helped me grow a lot. It’s something I hadn’t really had before, so I’m grateful I’ve been able to show what I can do.”
His Wales debut was made even more special by the presence of his parents, who cut short their travels across Asia to be there for the milestone moment. Having not seen them for several months, the occasion proved emotional long before kick-off.
“I hadn’t seen them for three or four months,” he said. “I knew roughly where they were sitting, but during the anthem I couldn’t really see them. Then when I went out to warm up, I spotted them and that was pretty emotional to be honest. Seeing them in the stadium for the first time was mad.
“They were travelling in Cambodia and I rang them on the Monday. They managed to get a flight back on the Friday, stayed in London and made it to the game on Saturday. They cut their trip short by two weeks, but we spoke about it and thought it was probably worth it. It was really nice to have them there.”
29.11.25 – Wales v South Africa Springboks – Quilter Nations Series – Danny Southworth of Wales cap presentation
Fresh from a dramatic victory over Ulster last weekend, Southworth feels Cardiff have set the tone perfectly for a run of three derby fixtures that could prove pivotal to the club’s season.
“It was a really good win for us,” he said. “We don’t always do it the easy way at the Arms Park, but to get the job done like that felt great and it’s put us in a really good place heading into this weekend.
“These next three games are massive. We’ve spoken about how important they are and if we can target them and pick up points, it could put us in a really good position come the end of the season. Two of them being at home makes it even more exciting.”
Cardiff currently sit second in the URC table, something Southworth sees as a reflection of the direction the squad is moving in, but he insists there is no appetite to ease off.
“It’s brilliant seeing us where we are in the table,” he added. “The boys going to Zebre and winning, then seeing us sitting second, it’s a real credit to this group. But we don’t want to stop now. We just want to keep building and picking up as many wins as we can.”
Friday night brings one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures on the Welsh rugby calendar and, for Southworth, derby matches are exactly why he plays the game.
“That’s what rugby is all about,” he said. “I only played in the derbies last year, but you quickly realise how special they are, for the players and especially for the fans. Packed grounds, proper atmosphere, Christmas time, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
There is also added motivation in the Cardiff camp, with the Scarlets having enjoyed success at the Arms Park in recent seasons.
“We’ve spoken about it this week,” Southworth admitted. “I don’t think we’ve beaten them here since 2019 and that’s been a bit of a burning thing for us. We really want to put that right on Friday.”
The derby also brings a personal subplot for the prop, who shares a house with Scarlets loose-head Alec Hepburn, a former Exeter teammate.
“There’ll definitely be a bit of scrapping in the kitchen this week,” he laughed. “I’m not sure if he’s playing yet, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge. They’ve got boys coming back from injury and they’re a strong pack, so we know it’ll be tough.”
With a packed Arms Park expected on Friday night, Southworth is relishing the chance to help Cardiff turn belief into another statement result in front of their home support.
“It genuinely feels like a special group,” he said. “We’ve turned tight losses from a few years ago into wins now and we go into games confident we can do a job. Hopefully we can show that again this weekend.”
There is still time to secure tickets for Cardiff Rugby versus Scarlets this Friday (December 19, 7.45pm kick-off). Supporters can purchase tickets online or by calling 029 20 302030.
