After a three week hiatus from Super Rygbi Cymru action, Cardiff RFC recorded their first home win of the season as they triumphed Aberavon RFC 45-26 at the Cardiff Arms Park.
First half crosses from Alun Rees, Dewi Cross, Tom Cottle, and Player of the Match Matty Young saw the Blue and Blacks into a 26-19 lead.
Then from a tightly contested opening period in the second half, scores from Joe Goodchild, Joe Cowell, and Osian Darwin-Lewis accompanied by ten points from the tee by Lloyd Lucas guided the Blue and Blacks back to winning ways.
Story Of The Game
On one of the more gloomier afternoons in the Welsh capital — a typically autumnal day — Keillen Cullen got proceedings underway. Nathan Hudd, playing his first game of the season, set the tempo in defence with a hit on Bradley Roderick just minutes into the encounter.
Moments later, the deadlock was broken. In his first outing since the clash with Esher in pre-season, Rees crossed over after a catch and drive.
Darwin-Lewis, who made his first start for the senior side in the United Rugby Championship last weekend, broke through and scrum half, Ieuan Davies kicked upfield after pressurising the visitors’ defence.
Winger Cross expertly gathered to score his fourth try of the season. On this occasion, outside half Lucas’ shot went wide, but the Blue and Blacks went into a 12-0 lead after just seven minutes.
The visitors were next to cross whitewash just before the 10-minute mark. This came after the ball was misplaced inside the Blue and Blacks’ 22.
Winger Cori Lewis-Jenkins gathered to claim The Wizards’ first of the afternoon. The Blue and Blacks’ lead grew even wider after 12 minutes.
Fullback Young put the hosts metres from the line following a scrum inside the visitors’ 22. Cottle then showed his strength to cross for his second try of the season, after a number of phases.
Try scorer Rees was then shown a yellow card by referee Keith David prior to the conclusion of the first quarter, for an infringement around the breakdown.
The visitors opted for the scrum metres from the hosts’ line, and after the ball was spread out wide, Lewis-Jenkins claimed his brace.
Cullen added the extras, reducing the deficit to seven points. Despite having the extra man, the yellow card did not prove costly for the hosts, as the next score didn’t come until minutes before the interval.
Ashton Evans powered his way over for the visitors’ second try after continuous pressure on the hosts’ defence, bringing proceedings level after Cullen slotted the extras.
Young, playing his first game for the Blue and Blacks since May, showed his pace as he breezed past The Wizards’ defenders to secure the hosts a bonus point.
HT: Cardiff 26-19 Aberavon
The visitors started the second half on the front foot, and this came from back-to-back penalties, which put them into the hosts’ 22.
Then, after some heroic defending metres from the Blue and Blacks’ line, winger Cross brilliantly held the ball up, and Lucas, from the goal-line dropout, kicked to relieve pressure.
Next winger Goodchild brilliantly kicked in behind, retrieved his own kick, and won the foot race to score his fourth of the season and the first score of the second half.
Lucas added the extras to make it a fourteen-point lead. That lead grew even further minutes later, after brilliant build-up play from both Will Davies-King and Joe Cowell.
Replacement tighthead Davies-King made a break upfield and offloaded to Cowell, who scored his second of the season after beating the last man. Shortly following this, it was the visitors’ turn to break upfield going into the final quarter.
Aberavon showcased some decent handling, and fullback Scott Delnevo crossed over for The Wizards’ fourth of the afternoon. Ten minutes later, the hosts responded with their seventh of the encounter.
This came from Goodchild offloading to the outside for Cross, who chipped in behind, with Darwin-Lewis gathering and scoring. Lucas added the extras to put his side into a 19-point lead going into the final stages.
With the clock in the red, the Blue and Blacks regathered possession inside their own 22 after the visitors were penalised. Following the resulting lineout, Cross kicked the ball out as the hosts claimed their first home win of the season.
FT: Cardiff 45-26 Aberavon