Cardiff progress pleases Young

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Cardiff, who have not won a trophy since the Welsh-Scottish League in 2000, booked their place at Twickenham with an 11-5 victory over Northampton in a physical encounter at the Ricoh Arena. It will be the Blues' first cup final as a region, and they still have a Heineken Cup quarter-final to come against Toulouse.

Young said: "We didn't do well in Heineken Cup and the other competitions four or five years ago because weren't good enough. You don't have a right to be in finals; you have to earn it."

He added: "I knew it would be a bumpy road when I took the job, but you have to have confidence and determination to keep going.

"It has not happened as quickly as we would have liked. But we have put real solid foundations in with the academy. The regional concept is better, and the support we are getting is far better.

"It is nice for us to keep moving forward on the team. We have now got better players."

Saints boss Jim Mallinder was frustrated but proud of his side, who this time last year were en route to the winning the EDF Intermediary Cup and playing rugby in National League One.

"I am disappointed for the team to lose a game like that," he said.

"We defended really well because Cardiff have got some big physical threats - but it wasn't our day.

"I am really proud where this team has come from in 18 months. After being relegated and spending a season in the first division, we have come a long way. We have improved this year as well and we are moving forward."