Harries is new star, but Blues throw away the spoils
JASON Harries won over Cardiff Blues supporters with a double try strike, but they threw the spoils away against defending champions Leinster in a thrilling Guinness PRO14 opener at the Arms Park.
The accomplished winger never put a foot wrong, twice keeping Leinster out in defence, while his scores had spectators in a noisy crowd of 9,284 roaring their approval.
Samoa centre Rey Lee-Lo also bagged a brace as the Blues picked up a bonus point, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a remarkable defeat in the battle between the holders of Europe’s two cup competitions.
Leinster only fielded two of their Champions Cup-winning team in former Australia star Scott Fardy and scrum-half Luke McGrath but had the resolve to fight back from a 15-point deficit in the final 27 minutes to mug the Challenge Cup victors.
Blues took a three-point lead in the fifth minute with a sweet 37m penalty from outside-half Jarrod Evans.
They’d had a scare a couple of minutes earlier following a dangerous cross-kick from Leinster outside-half Ross Byrne, but summer signing Harries reacted smartly to clear.
Blues opened their try account with a sizzling score following a move from a line-out.
Scrum-half Lloyd Williams passed directly to Willis Halaholo and Evans looped around the centre before making a diagonal half-break. Lee-Lo was alongside him in support and had too much speed for the cover to score an unconverted try.
Byrne reduced the deficit to five points with a short-range penalty from in front of the target in the 21st minute. Harries had to act quickly a second time to turn and prevent a potential Leinster try after Byrne preplanned slid a kick defence.
Leinster pressure was rewarded when hooker James Tracy picked off Williams’ pass following a line-out and managed to ground the ball after stretching for the try-line.
Byrne’s conversion attempt rebounded off an upright, but it was all-square and substitute Fergus McFadden put them ahead for the first time with a penalty in the 35th minute.
He had taken it because Byrne was having treatment after taking a knock to an ankle.
Blues responded positively, but an off-the-ball tug by No.8 Nick Williams was costly while Lee-Lo put a foot in touch a couple of minutes later. behind the home
However, they weren’t to be denied with former Ospreys prop Dimitri Arhip getting the ball away for fullback Matthew Morgan to find Harries.
The wing had plenty to do but stepped inside the cover to score a popular try, Evans converting to put them ahead a second time with a 15-14 advantage – Byrne landed a late penalty for Leinster – at the conclusion of an exciting first half.
Blues hit overdrive with Lee-Lo scoring on the overlap three minutes later following a sweeping handling movement to give them a bonus point with Evans again converting to lead 29-14.
But substitutes Bryan Byrne (twice) and Jamison Gibson-Park went over for Leinster, Ross Byrne converting Jason Harries goes over for his second try at the Arms Park last night PICTURE: Huw Evans Agency both, to snatch the spoils and a bonus point during a gripping finish.
M Morgan; J Harries, R Lee-Lo, W Halaholo, O Lane; J Evans, L Williams; B Thyer, K Dacey, D Arhip; S Davies, R Thornton; J Turnbull, E Jenkins, N Williams. Subs: E Lewis, R Gill, S Andrews, G Earle, O Robinson, T Williams, S Shingler, G Smith.
D Kearney; A Byrne, R O’Loughlin, J Tomane, B Daly; R Byrne, L McGrath; P Dooley, J Tracy, M Bent; R Molony, S Fardy; J Murphy, R Ruddock, C Doris. Subs: B Byrne, E Byrne, A Porter, M Kearney, M Deegan, J Gibson-Park, N Reid, F McFadden. N Owens (WRU).
9,284