Matt Sherratt took charge of his first game back for Cardiff Rugby since his stint with Wales in the Six Nations and in doing so, saw his side win just their fifth home game of the season as they put aside eighth-place Emirates Lions in round 13 of the United Rugby Championship.
Tries from Ben Donnell and Harri Millard were accompanied by Callum Sheedy’s boot, saw the Blue and Blacks take the spoils in a nail-biter at the Cardiff Arms Park.
The rain came down in torrents before kick-off, which made conditions difficult for both sides, but the visitors got off to the better start. Following some substantial pressure in the Blue and Blacks 22 tighthead, Asenathi Ntlabakayne powered his way over for the opening try of the contest. Fly-half Gianni Lombard successfully added the extras, which put the South African side into an early 7-0 lead after 12 minutes.
Moments later, the hosts responded accordingly through a try of their own. After a brilliant hit by scrum-half Johan Mulder on try-scorer Ntlabakayne from the resulting ruck, the hosts won a penalty. After kicking into the visitors’ 22, a catch and drive followed, and after a few phases, Donnell crossed for his second try of the season. Sheedy then brought proceedings back level after adding the extras. That lead then grew on 31 minutes as Sheedy slotted three points from an impressive distance after the Lions were penalised around the breakdown.
The visitors then looked to have scored their second of the encounter after brilliant combination play, which resulted in scrum-half Nico Steyn crossing over. However, after a TMO check, referee Federico Vedovelli disallowed the try as a forward pass in the build-up brought play back just inside the Blue and Blacks 22, and the halftime whistle shortly followed that.
HT: Cardiff Rugby 10-7 Emirates Lions
The second half began with the visitors drawing back level through Lombard slotting a penalty. Then, from a kick in behind by Sheedy, the Blue and Blacks regained possession after winger Richard Kriel knocked the ball on. Fullback Cam Winnett regained possession, and this was shortly followed by the visitors being penalised for not rolling away around the breakdown. Outside-half, Sheedy remained 100% from the tee as he put Cardiff back into the lead on the 50-minute mark.
Before the hour mark, the Lions found themselves metres out from the hosts’ whitewash, and after some close-range carries, captain Francke Horn crossed the whitewash for his side’s second of the evening. Lombard added the extras, which put his side back into the lead for the first time since the 11th minute.
Shortly after, winger Harri Millard brilliantly crossed over for his sixth of the season. This came from brilliantly reading the visitors’ attack as he intercepted from inside his own half and showed his pace to crossover in the corner. Sheedy calmly added the extras to make a three-point game going into the final 15 minutes. The Lions were then reduced to 14 men with just minutes left on the clock as fly-half Lombard was sent off for ten minutes for a deliberate knock-on.
There was further drama late on in the encounter with the hosts showcasing some brilliant defence, to hold the visitors up over the line as Sherratt’s men secured a hard-fought victory.
Cardiff will travel to Italy next Saturday evening as they take on Benneton Rugby, where they will aim to continue their hunt for a top-eight finish. The Emirates Lions head to Scotstoun, where they take on the Glasgow Warriors on Saturday evening. Both kick-off at 7:35 pm.
FT: Cardiff Rugby 20-17 Emirates Lions
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