Cardiff ran in twelve tries as they gained a bonus point win to remain on top of the Indigo Premiership.
On a cold but dry day all the other games in the Premiership were called off. But the Arms Park pitch was playable and the Blue & Blacks made the most of it. The first try came curtesy of an interception. Carmarthen had kept the ball for a few phases but when it was moved down the blind side just inside the Cardiff half Dan Fish picked off the scrum half’s feed to race under the posts. The second came a few minutes later. Cardiff forced the Quins into touch near their own line and when the maul was brought down several pick and drives ended with Efan Daniels going over.
From the kick-off the visitors were sent straight back into their half by Fish, his howitzer of a kick forcing another lineout in the Quins twenty-two, but the lineout went astray and the visitors were able to clear. But it wasn’t long before try three came, and it was worth waiting for. A Quins cross-field kick was collected by Dylan Richards, but the scramble defence cut him down in the twenty-two. Joe Goodchild stripped the ball away and set off at pace down the side-line. As the last defender came across, he popped the ball inside to the supporting Cameron Winnett who crossed unopposed.
Another Fish kick led to the bonus point try. Quins fullback Luke Davies managed to collect the ball infield but when he was about to be tackled into touch he threw a speculative pass that went straight to Harri Millard who sauntered over. The visitors then had a spell with the ball, but came up against a Cardiff defence that refused to allow them through. They did get near the Cardiff line only to be pulled back for a forward pass. A relieving penalty sent Cardiff on their way again. Two kicks later and the were in the Quins twenty-two. A lineout move sent Ellis Thomas crashing towards the line. When he was pulled down a quick recycle allowed Fish to send Dewi Cross over for try number five. And the sixth of the half came just before the whistle. A series of runs up the middle sent the Blue & Blacks into the Quins half and when they ran out of numbers Fish put Millard through a huge hole in the defence. It was an invitation the powerful centre accepted and went over under the posts. Fish converted that and all the other tries in the half.
The second half was a repeat of the first. Six tries were scored but the defensive effort was outstanding. When the Quins had the ball, they were simply given nowhere to go and either kicked the ball away or the ball was turned over. The first try of the half came after a penalty that Cardiff opted to scrum. From five metres out it two further penalties before Ellis Thomas was able to pick up and go over under the posts.
Millard was to get his hattrick midway through the half after Cardiff were made to defend for longer periods than they would have liked, A sweeping moved saw the ball moved wide and when Cross accelerated through a hole he was able to pop the ball to Millard to cross in the corner. Fish missed the conversion from wide out – his only miss of the game – but Cardiff went straight down the other end from the kick off. A break by Alun Rees was supported by debutant Will Keep, the centre going over under the posts.
Nathan Hudd was next on the scorers lists. The flanker had worked hard all game and he got his deserved reward when a lineout in the Quins twenty-two went over the top into his hands. No one was going to stop him from ten metres out. Then came one of the tries of the game. The Quins has an attacking lineout near the Cardiff line, but when it went wrong the Blue & Blacks moved the ball out to Keep who set off into the Quins half, he fed Cross who carried the move on. With one defender let to beat, he popped the ball back to Keep and he ran it in under the posts.
Time for one more – of course there was. Again the ball was turned over and slipped to Morgan Allen. He went off on a charging run. When he was brought down quick ball was used down the blind side. Cross spotted space behind and chipped the ball into it, and when the bounce favoured Jacob Lloyd the full back just had to run it in. Fish added his eleventh conversion and the Blue & Blacks remained at the top of the table for Christmas.