YOUNG: JARROD SHOWED BOTTLE
CARDIFF boss David Young says Jarrod Evans showed “fantastic bottle” after the last-gasp kick that secured a dramatic triumph over Irish powerhouses Leinster at the Arms Park.
The defending champions arrived in Cardiff having not lost to Wales’ capital side since 2011.
But Evans stepped up to nervelessly slot over a 50-metre penalty on the angle after the clock had gone red to snatch a deserved and impressive Cardiff victory.
“We stood toe to toe with the champions,” said Young.
“We had some good phases in the game and some poor phases but, if you can stick in the arm wrestle, these games can go either way.
“It was a fantastic kick by Jarrod. He showed a lot of bottle to get it over. Hopefully this can give the squad a lot of confidence because we haven’t beaten them for 11 years.
“This is a fantastic win but we’ve set ourselves some standards. The important thing is to maintain those standards.”
It took only a matter of minutes for defending champions Leinster to open the scoring.
Ross Byrne’s penalty after just three minutes might have had some fans fearing the worst.
Yet despite Leinster looking at times like there was no answer to their physicality on either side of the ball, Cardiff proved more than a match.
First, Evans levelled the scores from the tee after the home side’s maul shoved back Leinster at a rate of knots.
From the kick-off Cardiff took the lead. Evans spotted space on the right wing and floated a perfect crossfield kick for Owen Lane to race on to.
The wing gathered it at full speed and raced away from the Leinster cover to score.
That lead didn’t last long, with the Irish province hitting back immediately.
Adam Byrne hit a sharp line to scythe through the defence and cross moments after the kick-off.
Cardiff led at the break through the boot of Ben Thomas, with two further penalties from Evans pushing them into a nine-point lead early in the second half.
However, a yellow card for Wales back-rower James Botham as Leinster piled on the pressure we’ve come to expect from the province saw the Welsh side buckle.
First, Leinster got back within two points as replacement hooker James Tracy burrowed his way over from close range.
Then just before Botham returned to the field, Leinster No. 8 Scott Penny charged over from the back of a line-out to complete a 14-point turnaround with the yellow card.
A madcap couple of minutes saw Cardiff retake the lead in exhilarating fashion.
Harry Byrne’s penalty from his own half hit the post, which would have moved Leinster eight points ahead. Cardiff cleared immediately and, when Leinster misjudged the kick, Aled Summerhill latched on to the loose ball to nearly race away for a score.
He was dragged down short, but Cardiff didn’t panic and went through the phases to put Hallam Amos over in the other corner.
Evans converted to hand Cardiff the lead, but it seemed it wouldn’t be enough as Ross Byrne kicked Leinster ahead after Lane was pinged for not rolling away.
Yet right at the death, Evans fearlessly stepped up to send the Arms Park crowd – back in the stadium for the first time since December’s clash with Toulouse – wild.