Cardiff Blues 5-21 Glasgow Warriors

Cardiff Blues (0) 5
Try: Warburton
Glasgow Warriors (11) 21
Tries: Thom Evans, Beattie Con: Parks Pen: Parks 3

Blues centre Tom Shanklin is stopped by Warriors flanker John Barclay
Cardiff Blues suffered their first ever home defeat to Glasgow Warriors as Dan Parks' boot inspired the Scots to victory at the Cardiff City Stadium.
The Welsh region had won their previous six meetings but Parks' 11-point haul and tries from Thom Evans and Johnnie Beattie secured victory for Glasgow.
Sam Warburton scored a late consolation for the hosts as the flanker benefited from a neat Bradley Davies off-load.
But Glasgow hung on for a 21-5 win, their first away victory of the season.
The Blues were without a host of injured players such as Jamie Roberts, Xavier Rush, Ben Blair and Maama Molika as well as Lions Martyn Williams and Gethin Jenkins.
And Dai Young's side were clearly missing their stars as they fell behind early on as Parks twice ensured the Blues paid the penalty for indiscipline.
It should have been more as the Australian-born Scottish international missed two other kicks as the sloppy hosts struggled defensively as well as lacking attacking guile and a cutting edge.
Although it was one of their Wales stars Andy Powell, the rampaging number eight, that almost created a break for the Blues on the half-hour as he cut through the Glasgow defence with a run but he could not set Warburton free.
The flanker was held up with the try-line in sight as Parks showed his defensive side is as impressive as his usually reliable right boot.
And it was Park's aforementioned foot that chipped the ball over the flat-footed Blues defence in injury time at the end of the first-half to set up the opening try.
Scrum-half Colin Gregor's pass was kicked through by Parks for Scottish wing Thom Evans to touch down his first try of the season.
Parks missed the conversion - as well as three penalties just before and after the interval - as the Blues were fortunate that the game was not over before half-time
Powell and fit-again Wales team-mate Tom Shanklin, still returning to full match fitness after a shoulder operation, were the often-blunt Blues' main attacking threat.
But it was during a Blues attack that Glasgow broke away for their second try as replacement Darren Morris' first action was to drop a Ceri Sweeney pass - an error which led to a try for Warriors number eight Beattie.
Moray Low kicked the lose ball clear - following Morris' spill - and Evans unsurprisingly out-paced Blues hooker Gareth Williams to set-up number eight Beattie a clear run to the try-line.
While the Cardiff side lacked ideas and leaders, they continued to battle and Powell almost crashed over for a try but was held up just short thanks to some heroics Warriors defending.
From the resulting ruck, Robin Sowden-Taylor was set free down the left wing but the Wales flanker was blocked - although the Blues kept the ball alive to score.
Davies burst through a gap in the Glasgow back-line and as the ball threatened to fall out of his grasp, he flicked the ball back into Warburton's hands as the promising former wales youth captain scored his first career try - but it was too little, too late.
Cardiff Blues: Halfpenny, Mustoe, Shanklin, Evans, G. Thomas, Sweeney, Cooper, Yapp, G. Williams, G. Powell, Jones, Tito, Warburton, Sowden-Taylor, A. Powell.
Replacements: Flanagan for Mustoe (71), Czekaj for Evans (66), R. Williams for G. Williams (74), Morris for G. Powell (64), Davies for Jones (51), Morgan for Tito (72). Not Used: Allinson.
Glasgow: Stortoni, Dewey, McCall, Morrison, T. Evans, Parks, Gregor, Welsh, Hall, Low, Barker, Kellock, Vernon, Barclay, Beattie.
Replacements: O'Hare for Dewey (64), Horne for Morrison (79), van der Merwe for T. Evans (73), Tkachuk for Welsh (50), McArthur for Hall (70), Turner for Barker (50), Forrester for Beattie (64).

This article was posted on 3-Oct-2009, 19:50 by Hugh Barrow.