Cardiff continue Celtic League charge
Newport-Gwent 13 Cardiff 18
The Blues secured a fifth consecutive Celtic League victory to keep their title ambitions on track as they extinguished the Dragons’ fire at Rodney Parade.
It was a controlled and disciplined display by the resurgent Blues, who held the upper hand from the moment they engineered a magnificent early touchdown.
The disappointing Dragons, whose hopes of Heineken Cup qualification are fading fast, suffered a rare home defeat and could have few complaints as they lacked the ammunition to unlock a resolute visitors’ defence.
In difficult conditions these bitter Welsh rivals set about each other with gusto, the Blues shrugging off driving rain to fashion a sensational seventh minutes score.
Flanker Martyn Williams had the vision to put his skipper and namesake Rhys into attacking mode from a retreating scrum for Chris Czekaj to make headway down the right flank before sending scrum-half Mike Phillips racing over unopposed to climax a stunning 89-metre raid. Nicky Robinson duly added the conversion.
The in-form Blues struck a further blow after just 12 minutes, fly-half Robinson on target with a long-range penalty.
The Dragons were thrown a lifeline minutes later when Blues’ hooker Rhys Thomas found Michael Owen at a lineout and the rangy back-row giant drove over for an opportunist touchdown, which Craig Warlow converted.
A snap drop goal by Robinson added three more points to the Blues tally before the Dragons responded through a Warlow penalty.
The Dragons were reduced to 14 men either side of half-time with Owen in the sin-bin but the Blues failed to add to a 13-10 lead during his absence.
Instead, the visitors had Wales lock Robert Sidoli banished to the bin for taking out rival Luke Charteris at a lineout – but crucially the Blues took their cue to grab an important score.
Patient build-up by the Cardiff forwards created an overlap for Craig Morgan to send fellow wing Czekaj over for an unconverted try.
A Warlow penalty narrowed the deficit to five points but the Blues have developed a winning edge of late and comfortably closed down the game.
Disappointed Dragons coach Paul Turner conceded it was not a night for the Dragons to remember as he said: “It was one of those nights when we were never in control of the game.”
Victorious coach David Young acknowledged: “The result keeps us on a roll and it was due reward for our guts and determination.”
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