Blues triumph at Kingsholm
Cardiff Blues won their LV= Cup clash against Gloucester thanks to a last-gasp penalty from Ceri Sweeney at Kingsholm.
Last Updated: 08/11/09 6:47pm
Cardiff Blues won their LV= Cup clash against Gloucester thanks to a last-gasp penalty from Ceri Sweeney at Kingsholm.
A Xavier Rush try plus eight points from Sweeney's boot saw the defending champions to a 26-25 victory in an entertaining re-run of last season's Anglo-Welsh final.
Gloucester were determined to avoid a repeat of that Twickenham showpiece, an encounter they lost 50-12.
A frenetic opening half saw the hosts lead 16-13 at half time thanks to tries from captain Gareth Delve and flanker Adam Eustace, plus a penalty apiece from fly-half Nicky Robinson and full-back Freddie Burns.
Early dominance
Gloucester enjoyed early dominance at the scrum but it was the visitors who put the first points on the board, Sweeney slotting over for an early 3-0 lead when Gloucester were penalised for not rolling away.
Robinson levelled the scores after a powerful drive shoved the Blues off their own put-in leading to a penalty for the Cherry and Whites.
And when the Blues were turned over from a line-out in their own 22, Gloucester made full upse of the opportunity, Eustace collecting the loose ball to power over from close range.
Robinson's conversion went over with the help of the post before a scything break from the fly-half set up the home side's second try of the afternoon.
Delve touched down from James Simpson-Daniel's pinpoint grubber to make it 13-3 and leave the Welshmen reeling.
However the Blues regained their composure to score a superb try, Sweeney finding Rush with a short pass for the skipper to bulldoze his way through the midfield and crash over under the sticks.
Sweeney added the simplest of conversions then levelled the scores after Gloucester were penalised for slowing down ruck ball.
Hard fought
Strokosch was sin-binned in the 33rd minute for coming in from the side but Sweeney missed the resulting penalty.
And when Cardiff were caught offside Burns re-established the hosts' lead to take them into the interval with a slender advantage.
Burns slotted his second penalty soon after the restart to extend the gap but Sweeney struck back with three more points to narrow the deficit.
The Blues moved back in front at the end of the third quarter, Norton-Knight stepping inside a drifting defence to cross for a try which was also converted.
But Spencer trim the lead to one point with a penalty and then Gloucester regained the lead with a 35 metre penalty after replacement Cardiff prop Sam Hobbs was adjudged to have taken down a scrum.
Yet just when Gloucester thought they'd seen off their rivals they infringed at a ruck 40 metres out, allowing Sweeney to slot over a penalty that clinched a hard-fought win for the Blues on their travels.