QUINS CLOSE IN ON THE LEADERS
CARMARTHEN Quins extended their unbeaten home run with ease as they threw the race for the Indigo Group Premiership title back into the melting pot with a bonus-point win over the league leaders.
And the home side had to do it the hard way after losing outside half Jac Wilson to a red card after only 10 minutes for a head-high challenge on James Beal.
Cardiff also saw their skipper Morgan Allen sent-off six minutes from the end for an alleged stamp on Lewys Millin.
Cardiff arrived with a 15-point lead, but they could find themselves a mere five points clear after their mauling in the mud at Carmarthen Park if the Quins can take another bonus-point win from their game in hand.
It was only the second time this season that the Blue & Blacks had been beaten, but this time it was a hammering.
They conceded four tries for the first time this season and looked a sorry sight at the end of a wet night.
Once Wilson had departed, the had to move Josh Batcup from centre to outside-half and he played superbly.
His kicking game, allied to those of scrum-half Jonathan Evans and the left feet of back-three men Leon Randell and Jake Newman, simply took the game away from the visitors.
Despite going down to 14 men, it was the Quins who struck first when the outstanding tight-head prop Javan Sebastian barrelled over from good approach work from No.8 Lawrence Reynolds and fellow prop Ollie Evans. Batcup added the extras.
Cardiff hit back immediately with a great move off the tail of a lineout. Tom Habberfield fed Terri Gee, who cut through the defence on the 10-metre line, raced into the 22 and handed on to Barney Nightingale for a try that Gareth Thompson converted.
Quins refused to be denied, though, and Batcup crossed for a try that he also converted to make it 14-7 to the home side at the break. Cardiff lost Blues prop Kieron Assiratti to injury to make matters worse for them up front as they suffered in the scrum.
Evans picked up at the base of a dominant home scrum for the third try and then No.8 Reynolds was on the end of a driving maul for the bonus-point try.
Batcup converted the Evans score and then added a late penalty to put the icing on top of the Quins’ cake.