Crucial James brace gives Connacht the Blues

CARDIFF BLUES moved above the Scarlets in the Magners League table with a victory over bottom side Connacht which hinged on two tries in a six-minute spell by Tom James.

Winger James touched down twice shortly before half-time, while Ben Blair kicked 11 points and centre Casey Laulala was impressive on his debut after signing from Canterbury in a deserved win.

Ian Keatley replied with three penalties from five attempts for the Irish province.

Connacht, seeking a first double over the Welsh region, dominated the early stages, with lively fly-half Keatley prominent, but he blotted his copybook when he missed a simple drop goal after a sustained period of pressure.

The Blues gradually began to show some flowing rugby, with a kick-and-catch by Richard Mustoe sparking a fine move wrecked by a poor pass from Australian Sam Norton-Knight, still not looking the answer to his team’s problem at number 10.

Connacht had strayed offside, however, and full-back Blair kicked a straightforward penalty.

Keatley responded with a 40-yard effort for the visitors, but another from Blair regained the lead for the Blues.

Then came the double from James. The scrum-capped winger crashed through in midfield to round off another move started by the excellent Mustoe, who was only in the team because of Leigh Halfpenny’s Barbarians call-up. Blair converted.

James grabbed his second wide out as the heavens opened and although Blair missed the kick the game looked as good as won with the hosts taking a 18-3 half-time lead.

Connacht, however, did not agree and began the second period with renewed enthusiasm. Keatley landed a penalty when the Blues were deemed guilty of a scrum offence, but missed another from a wider angle.

On the Blues’ first second-half visit to Connacht territory they spurned a kickable penalty, but over complicated in mid-field and found themselves back on their own 22.

Keatley narrowed the gap further with another three-pointer, but when Blair sent a long distance kick over via a post the visitors never looked likely to recover.

Cardiff Blues scorers: Tries: T James 2 Cons: Blair Pens: Blair 3

CARDIFF BLUES: Blair, Mustoe, Laulala, Shanklin, T James, Norton-Knight, Cooper, Jenkins, T Thomas, Filise, Jones, Tito, Warburton, M Williams, Rush

Replacements: Sweeney for Norton-Knight (69), Rees for Cooper (62), G Powell for Jenkins (75), Pretorius for Warburton (62)

Connacht scorers: Pens: I Keatley 3

CONNACHT: Duffy, Bibo, Ta’auso, Wynne, Carr, Keatley, F Murphy, Wilkinson, Cronin, Morris, McCarthy, Upton, Muldoon, O’Connor, McComish Replacements: O’Loughlin for F Murphy (73), Ofisa for O’Connor (40), Swift for McComish (40)

Referee: Andy MacPherson (SRFU).