LUKE BAGS A TREBLE IN 11-TRY ROUT
CARDIFF moved to within one victory of the Indigo Premiership play-offs after they dismantled Carmarthen Quins at the Arms Park. The Blue and Blacks ran in 11 tries, with centre Luke Pollock scoring a hat-trick while right wing Dewi Cross also chipped in with a couple of tries and was instrumental in helping to set up a couple more.
They had the bonus point in the bag by the 25th minute and were 49-0 up by the break.
Cardiff require four more points to cement fourth and guarantee the final play-off spot, regardless of what Pontypool and Merthyr do in their remaining fixtures.
Cardiff’s final regular league game is at home against Merthyr on Saturday.
“We knew we needed nine points from these last two games and we wanted to go after that bonus point from the start,” said hat-trick hero Pollock.
“We’ve been focusing recently on starting games well – and we showed that today. It was a very free-flowing game, which is not always the case in this league so it was nice.
“Fair play to them, they kept knocking on the door for 80 minutes and we didn’t get carried away at half-time, and we knew we had to tidy up and do better on a few things and keep going in the second half.
“We’ve got one more game and hopefully we can get the win and then anything can happen from there.
“It would be massive for us. We obviously started the season slowly.
“We don’t have as much depth maybe as we’ve had in previous years, but we’ve clubbed together here and, going on the last part of the season, I think we deserve to be in the top four and to have a crack at it.”
Cardiff ran riot with seven first-half tries.
Cross seized on a loose pass to open the scoring before Pollock broke through for try number two.
Hooker Alun Rees then scored a third try following a driving maul before skipper Morgan Allen went over to bag the bonus point.
Pollock went over for his second on the half-hour mark after a break from Cross who ran from his own 22. Cross then went over himself again with fly-half Harrison James crossing for a seventh Cardiff try right on halftime.
His successful conversion made it seven from seven.
Four more Cardiff tries followed in the second half. Replacement Harri Wilde broke away from a ruck to score his first try of the season, which he converted himself, before another brilliant break from Cross put scrumhalf Joe Williams in for a try which Wilde again improved to make it 630.
With an hour gone, the Quins finally got themselves on the scoresheet with lock Iestyn Wood grabbing a try which Elis Price converted.
But it was ultimately scant consolation for the West Walians and Cardiff finished with two more tries, scored by replacement Tom Rice and Pollock again to complete his treble. Wilde added the extras to both to round off a crushing win.
CARDIFF – Tries: L Pollock (3), D Cross (2), A Rees, M Allen, H James, H Wilde, J Williams, T Rice; Cons: H James (7), H Wilde (4). CARMARTHEN QUINS – Try: I Wood; Con: E Price.