Cardiff climb to second
Cardiff Blues moved into second place in the Magners League table after recording an 11-3 victory over Leinster on Saturday.
Last Updated: 19/02/11 9:32pm
Cardiff Blues moved into second place in the Magners League table after recording an 11-3 victory over Leinster on Saturday.
Fly-half Ceri Sweeney - playing ahead of Scotland number 10 Dan Parks - orchestrated a deserved victory for the Welsh region at Cardiff City Stadium.
The Blues showed ambition from the start as they spread the ball wide at every opportunity, but it was the visitors who created the first real chance, with Eoin O'Malley unable to find unmarked winger Niall Morris.
Blues speedster Richard Mustoe almost sneaked over on the right at the other end but he could not stop his foot from finding the touchline.
A Sweeney penalty eventually put the Blues in front, but they passed up further chances at going for the posts, preferring to go for the close range line-out instead.
Mustoe was held up just short and number eight Xavier Rush fumbled the ball forward as he dived for the try-line
The Blues' adventure was finally rewarded when veteran flanker Martyn Williams linked play on the blind side of a ruck and sent full-back Dan Fish in at the flag for an unconverted try.
Penalty
Leinster responded in the closing seconds of the first half as Isa Nacewa, who had been off target with two earlier attempts, slotted over a straightforward penalty.
Encouraged, the Irish outift stepped up the pace after the break, with lively fly-half Ian McKinley being stopped by a last-ditch tackle from home scrum-half Tom Slater before the visiting pack drove across the line but failed to ground the ball.
The Blues were soon back in control, however - as flanker Andries Pretorius grew increasingly prominent - and Martyn Williams darted over only to be called back due to a forward pass from Sweeney.
The hosts kept the pressure on, but they could not turn territory into points, and their lead only survived when Leinster butchered a simple try.
Nacewa switched direction to send Andrew Conway racing into the Blues' 22, but the winger's final pass went to ground when flanker Dominic Ryan had the line at his mercy.
Substitutions disrupted the flow of the game, but the introduction of Cook Islands prop Stan Wright - returning from a long injury lay-off - brought new stability to the previously vulnerable Leinster scrum.
Sweeney was just off target with a penalty from halfway, but made no mistake with another chance from out wide as he when he curled the ball inside the far post to seal the win.
