Warriors show grit as hosts fight back
survived a dramatic fade-out to snatch their fourth victory of the season over the Blues and boost their Pro14 title hopes.
The alarm bells rang after they allowed the hosts to slash a 17-point lead to just two. But Dave Rennie’s men shook off the jitters when it mattered most to secure the maximum reward. Glasgow had made a wretched start – giving away a try after just four minutes.
Slack tackling allowed Aled Summerhill to cruise over with Jarred Evans adding the conversion.
The response of the visitors was instant and Pete Horne confidently landed a penalty to repair some of the damage. Then Nick Grigg embarked on a strong run. However, his pass to new boy Kyle Steyn drifted astray.
Grigg was back in the spotlight to make the most of another chance.
He pounced on a feed from Ruaridh Jackson and scampered over with ease, Horne’s kick was again spot on. And even better was to come almost straight from the restart as slick work by Horne sent Ali Price over for No. 2. Horne’s conversion opened up a 10-point gap.
Glasgow surged further ahead on the half-hour mark with another top-notch score.
Steyn’s pop pass in the danger zone was perfectly directed for Horne to grab it and glide over before adding the goal.
Blues then set up a great opportunity with a penalty line-out, but Glasgow stole the throw and cleared the immediate threat.
However, the hosts earned fresh hope just before the break when Summerhill completed his double at the end of a long-range move, converted by Evans.
The frantic action continued after the restart and Owen Lane bagged another Cardiff score to blow the contest wide open.
And the Glasgow jitters increased as a Horne penalty crashed against the upright and rebounded to safety.
Two forward passes in quick succession put the Warriors under more pressure close to their line. This led to an Evans penalty which slashed the gap to only two points. Glasgow made wholesale bench changes in a bid to halt the slide.
The ploy paid instant dividends when Nick Frisby darted over for the bonuspoint touchdown – Horne finding the target.
And, in a nerve-jangling finale, Summerhill notched his treble, before David Tameilau grabbed his first try for the Warriors.
Blues refused to die and Garyn Smith went over two minutes from the end.
A relieved Rennie said: “It is always good to win away from home, especially with the bonus point.
“But we made it really hard for ourselves.
“We were well on top until just before half-time and then we let Cardiff come right back into it because we were not accurate enough.”