Cardiff head coach Dan Fish was delighted to see his side get the job done with a 50-33 win against Carmarthen Quins to set up a Super Rygbi Cymru play-off semi-final showdown with Llandovery.
Outside half Harri Wilde and right wing Elijah Evans were both at the double, with scrum-half Ethan Lloyd, left wing Dewi Cross and No 8 Lucas de la Rua also on the scoresheet.
Wilde converted six of their seven tries to end with a 22-point haul, while replacement Lloyd Lucas goaled a penalty.
“It was a patchy, sticky game. Some parts of the game we played very well, and other parts we lost that little bit of control,” said Fish.
“Overall, really pleased to come away with the win.”
Cardiff scored first seven minutes in when, after some brilliant handling, Wilde raced over for the opening try, which he also converted.
He then repeated the trick six minutes later, scoring his and Cardiff’s second try after good work from centre Osian Darwin-Lewis to set him up. Wilde again converted.
Quins hit back with a try from scrum-half Rhodri Davies on 25 minutes, crossing from close range after taking a penalty quickly. Steffan Jac Jones converted.
However four minutes later the hosts were over for their third try. Prop Ioan Emanuel barged through the Quins’ defence, before Lloyd gathered to score. Wilde converted.
Try number four arrived three minutes later, with Evans scoring after some more exquisite build-up play. Wilde again converted.
Cardiff were cutting loose and, on 37 minutes it was 33-7, as Darwin-Lewis pounced on a loose ball – and Cross scored home try number five, his 15th of the season and 67th in 82 games for the club, although this time Wilde’s conversion went wide.
No 8 Lewys Millin’s try right on half time, converted by Jac Jones, kept Quins in with a shout and, 10 minutes into the second half, they scored their third try, with Scarlets full-back Ioan Nicholas darting up the touchline to score. Jac Jones converted to cut Cardiff’s lead to 33-21.
However any faint hopes of a revival were soon dashed. A fourth Carmarthen try, unconverted, scored by wing Tomos Lewis, was sandwiched in between two further Cardiff tries coming courtesy of Evans and de la Rua, both converted by Wilde, to make it 47-26.
The visitors would grab a fifth try, scored from close range by replacement Iestyn Wood and converted by Jac Jones, but the final say went to Cardiff with replacement Lucas goaling a penalty to bring up 50 points.
The game also marked a century of Cardiff appearances for flanker Nathan Hudd.
“Really honoured to get 100 appearances for the club,” he said. “It means so much to me. It’s been a milestone on my list for a long time, and I’m really proud to do it at home as well.
“The game was a bit end-to-end. We could have put it away in the first half, but we let them back in. Credit to Carmarthen, they stuck at it, and made it a really good contest.”
Scorers:
Cardiff: Tries: H Wilde (2), E Lloyd, E Evans (2), D Cross, L de la Rua; Cons: H Wilde (6); Pen: L Lucas
Carmarthen Quins: R Davies, L Millin, I Nicholas, T Lewis, I Wood; Cons: S J Jones (4)