GLASGOW WARRIORS 4o – 17 CARDIFF RUGBY
Cardiff Rugby failed to pick up any points on the road at Glasgow and will have to sweat it out over the weekend to see how their main rivals for a top eight slot fare in tier penultimate matches in the BKT United Rugby Championship.
While the full five points secured by the Warriors courtesy of their six try triumph were enough to take them back to the top of the table – their chief rivals the Stormers were held to 38-38 draw in Ulster – Cardiff saw the Irish province match their 50 points.
The Bulls and Connacht both play at home later this weekend and a win for the South African franchise against bottom of the table Zebre Parma will see them overtake Cardiff.
The game was tight to begin with before Glasgow made the first break midway through the first half and conjured up a try from close range by the outstanding No 8 Jack Dempsey. Home skipper Kyle Steyn then raced past Josh Adams to run in from 30 metres and with two conversions from George Horne the 2024 champions were 14 points to the good.
Adams soon made amends as he crossed after a five metre penalty move and Callum Sheedy added the extras. Then Glasgow hooker Johnny Matthews picked up the first of his two driving line-out tries to help make it 21-7 at the break.
Matthews grabbed his second in the 54th minute to bag the bonus point to leave Cardiff with a mountain to climb. Once again, they hit back with a bullocking try from replacement prop Danny Southworth, but that only cut the gap to 16 points.
Two more tries flowed from the highly motivated home side before the end from prop Patrick Schickerling and wing Kyle Rowe as the scoreline stretched to 40-12. A third Cardiff try from Jacob Beetham left a final minute to try to get a fourth to bag a bonus point but there was no dream ending.
If Cardiff do hold onto a top eight place – they host the Stormers in their final game at the Arms park on Friday night – then they are more than likely going to have to travel to a top four side in the play-offs. Glasgow gave them a taste of the standard they can expect to meet.