Cardiff edge Leinster to earn vital URC points on rain-soaked Arms Park night

Max Deegan of Leinster battles for possession in a line-out. Pic: Chris Fairweather/Sportsfile

URC: Cardiff Rugby 8 Leinster 7

All that was missing was a bit of mud and we’d have had a good old-fashioned wallow on a filthy night at the Arms Park in the Welsh capital.

These days, Cardiff play on an artificial surface and that was probably the only reason the game was able to take place. 

The stakes may have been high for both teams – Leinster looking to extend an 11-match unbeaten run to remain in hot pursuit of Glasgow Warriors and Cardiff fighting to stay relevant in the top eight – but creative play was nigh on impossible.

Cardiff had first use of a brisk breeze and did their best to keep the ball down in the Leinster half. The visitors may have looked to move the ball when they could but they ended up running into a blue and black wall well tutored by the former Wales and British and Irish Lions prop Gethin Jenkins.

The game started with a bit of intent as both packs threw handbags at each other from the kick-off, ending in a penalty to Cardiff. 

Harry Byrne left the field after only three minutes and his replacement, Charlie Tector, picked up a yellow card in the 13th minute for a late charge into Ben Thomas.

That gave Cardiff the chance to exert the first bit of pressure with a kick into the left corner, but their lineout malfunctioned and the chance was lost. 

The home side did, however, take the lead midway through the first half when Callum Sheedy kicked a simple penalty for offside in the Leinster 22.

He got another chance to shoot for the posts five minutes later, but instead turned down the chance of a guaranteed three points to kick to the same corner. 

This time the lineout worked, but John McKee forced Dan Thomas into a mistake with the line five metres away as the home team smelt blood.

Leinster were getting little or no change out of the home pack or defence and three minutes before the break, and just after seeing his scrum shunted backwards, Leo Cullen decided enough was enough. 

He changed the whole front row and threw RG Snyman into the very damp fray to try to make a difference.

Significantly, the next scrum ended in a penalty to Leinster and the half ended with Cardiff leading 3-0. No wonder they started playing ‘Singing in the Rain’ as the teams left the field for a well-earned break.

The weather improved in the second half and the rain finally stopped. Cardiff’s grip on proceedings didn’t loosen, though, and they increased their lead in the 54th minute with a beautiful move down the left touch line. 

Cam Winnett caught the ball, Mason Grady carried on over halfway and into the 22 and his inside pass found the supporting back row man, Dan Thomas.

With the Leinster defence split asunder, it merely took one more inside pass to scrum half Aled Davies to let him celebrate his first try for the club. Sheedy couldn’t add the extras, but they were now two scores clear.

Leinster did finally manage to get on the board with a try from replacement scrum half Luke McGrath in the 68th minute, which Tector improved, but in the end it was too little, too late to save their 11-match unbeaten run.

Cardiff Rugby: C Winnett; J Beetham, H Millard, B Thomas, M Grady; C Sheedy (I Lloyd72), A Davies (J Mulder 67); R Barratt, (D Southworth 57) L Belcher (captain, D Hughes 62), J Sebastian (K Assiratti 62), J McNally, G Nott (R Thornton 69), A Lawrence, D Thomas, T Basham 

YC: J Beetham (66) 

Leinster: J O'Brien; J Kenny (A Osborne 57), R Ioane, R Henshaw, R Moloney; H Byrne (C Tector 3), F Gunne (L McGrath 52); J Cahir (G McCarthy 37), J McKee (A Usanov 37-75), A Sparrow (R Slimani 37), A Spicer (RG Snyman 37), B Deeny, M Deegan (captain), S Penny, J Culhane YC: C Tector (13)

Referee: San Grove-White (Scotland).