Leinster Rugby v Cardiff Blues

IN OPPOSITION
Cardiff Blues
Last Time Out
COUNTRY
WALES
HOME GROUND
CARDIFF ARMS
PARK
FOUNDED
2003
Cardiff Blues 22 Benetton Rugby 5
A SCINTILLATING TRY FROM OWEN LANE HELPED
CARDIFF BLUES DEFEAT BENETTON 22-5 LAST MONDAY
NIGHT, AS THE ITALIAN SIDE’S LOSING RUN WAS
EXTENDED TO FOUR GAMES AT RODNEY PARADE.
Jarrod Evans got the first points of
the game with a well struck penalty
midway through the first half, as the
hosts put an end to their three-game
losing run on their own patch.
Rory Thornton then touched down in the corner
to extend the lead, before Lane added a
fantastic second midway through the second
half with the try of the match.
Tomas Baravalle scored a late consolation for
Benetton, before Ben Thomas touched down
under the sticks to seal the deal in the dying
seconds.
Neither side could stamp their authority onto
the game in the early stages in the Welsh
capital, with the blustery conditions proving
difficult for both teams.
Ian Keatley and Evans both missed penalty
attempts in the opening minutes, before the
latter converted his second go at a three-pointer
to give the hosts the advantage.
And that’s the way it stayed until seven minutes
before the break, as Thornton was the man
to capitalise after a surging Blues maul left
the lock with the chance to touch down in the
corner.
It turned into a gruelling battle of the forwards
for much of the game, with both sides giving
their all in the scrum, but neither could further
trouble the scoreboard before the interval as
the hosts went in 8-0 to the good.
Benetton came out with a vengeance in the
second half, and piled the pressure onto John
CARDIFF BLUES:
Matthew Morgan; Owen
Lane, Garyn Smith, Willis
Halaholo (Ben Thomas
55), Hallam Amos;
Jarrod Evans, Jamie Hill
(Lewis Jones 70); Corey
Domachowski (Brad
Thyer 51), Kristian Dacey
(Ethan Lewis 68), Scott
Andrews (Kieron Assiratti
63); Ben Murphy, Rory
Thornton (Teddy Williams
74); James Ratti, Olly
Robinson (Alun Lawrence
45), Josh Turnbull.
BENETTON: Jayden
Hayward; Ratuva
Tavuyara, Joaquin Riera,
Ignacio Brex (Angelo
Esposito 40), Monty
Ioane; Ian Keatley,
Callum Braley (Luca
Petrozzi 68); Nicola
Quaglio (Thomas
Gallo 43), Hame Faiva
(Tomas Baravalle 48),
Filippo Alongi (Tiziano
Pasquali 40); Federico
Ruzza (Irné Herbst 48),
Eli Snyman; Giovanni
Pettinelli (Marco Barbini
50), Manuel Zuliani
(Michele Lamaro 40),
Toa Halafihi.
Words: pro14.rugby
Imagery: Inpho
Mulvihill’s side from the off, but couldn’t find a
way past the Welsh side’s rearguard.
And after soaking up the Italian’s pressure the
Blues hit them with the sucker-punch just after
the hour mark, as Lane dazzled his way to the
try line.
The winger picked up the ball just outside
the Benetton 22, before wrong-footing the
entire visiting defence with his fleet-footedness,
before using his pace to surge over to score.
Benetton’s efforts were eventually rewarded
with 10 minutes remaining, as Baravalle
latched onto the back of a maul to finally get
the Italians on the scoreboard, before Thomas
added a third for the Blues seconds before the
final whistle.
From The Ground Up | 74 | www.leinsterrugby.ie