BEN’S BRACE DELIGHTS DAI IN A THRILLER
DAI Young was a happy – and relieved – man after Cardiff battled back to beat Glasgow at the Arms Park. Danny Wilson’s visitors raced to a 21-8 lead. But the hosts completed a superb comeback with a fine secondhalf display.
“It was a real game of two halves, but we were very good in the second half, but probably equally poor in the first,” said director of rugby Young.
“We only had something like 28 per cent possession in the first half and couldn’t win our line-outs.
“We ended up defending for most of the period and when you give a team of that physicality ball after ball, things will be tough for you.
“One thing we’ve spoken about is sticking in games, because you won’t play well for 80 minutes and you will lose possession.
“But you need confidence to stick in there and if you can keep it to one score then who knows?”
A brace from Theo Cabango helped Cardiff roar back in a pulsating URC clash.
Two tries from Sebastian Cancelliere and further scores from Sam Johnson and Fraser Brown looked to have set the visitors on their way to victory.
However, two scores from Cabango as well as tries for Jason Harries and Willis Halaholo saw Young’s side get back to winning ways on their return from South Africa.
It was the home side who started the better. Strong carries from Ben Thomas and James Ratti set the tone from a line-out before Thomas switched back to the blindside to find the scoring pass for Harries in the corner.
Jarrod Evans missed the conversion from out wide, but extended Cardiff ’s lead shortly after with a penalty.
Eventually, though, the away side started to build pressure with three unanswered tries.
Their first came from a couple of Cardiff errors.
Kirby Myhill’s line-out was picked off, before Kyle Steyn breezed through Halaholo’s tackle in midfield to break away and release Cancelliere to score under the sticks.
Not long after, they took the lead as relentless pressure was rewarded as Johnson stepped through from close range to dive over.
The third came on the half-hour mark, with hooker Brown coming up with the ball after an 11-man maul had rumbled over the line.
To Cardiff’s credit, they managed to hit back before the break. Patient build-up in the Glasgow 22 seemed to have gone to waste when Harries spilled possession, but Cabango reacted quickly and stepped over to score.
As a result, Young’s men trailed by just six at the break, but an awful start to the second half soon put them two scores behind again.
Cardiff got on the attack early, but Thomas’ pop-pass was picked off by Cancelliere just as the home side had worked a three-on-one. To make matters worse, the wing raced away to cross for his second and Glasgow’s fourth.
Soon, though, Cancelliere got his timing wrong with an attempted intercept following a scintillating break from Halaholo, The winger received a yellow card and, while off the pitch, Halaholo stepped his way over as the Wales centre’s influence on proceedings grew.
He was involved again for Cardiff’s next. After sustained forward pressure, he slipped the ball out the back to Evans, who freed Cabango to race over for his second try.
Evans’ penalty with two minutes to go made sure of the victory.