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Cardiff Blues will be looking for revenge at Cardiff Arms Park on Sunday when they take on Sale Sharks in a European Rugby Challenge Cup Pool 2 clash live on Sky Sports
Cardiff Blues will be looking for revenge at Cardiff Arms Park on Sunday when they take on Sale Sharks in a European Rugby Challenge Cup Pool 2 clash live on Sky Sports, after failing to score a point against them last weekend in a 23-0 defeat.
· The Round 3 clash between Cardiff Blues and Sale Sharks was their first in the Challenge Cup and their seventh in Europe overall; each of the previous seven games have been won by the home team on the day.
· Cardiff have won three of their four games when hosting Aviva Premiership opposition, with only Harlequins coming away from the Welsh capital with a victory, in Round 2, 2015/16.
· Sale lost their last away game, however they’ve not lost consecutive matches on the road since 2000 when they lost three in a row.
· Sale are one of just three teams to boast a success rate of over 90% at both scrum (100%) and lineout (92%).
Cardiff Blues went top of Challenge Cup Pool 2 by beating Sale Sharks 14-6 in treacherous conditions at Cardiff Arms Park. - 17/12/2017 18:25
Cardiff Blues went top of Challenge Cup Pool 2 by beating Sale Sharks 14-6 in treacherous conditions at Cardiff Arms Park.
- Early in the first half 34-year-old Nick Williams was undoubtedly the standout player, carrying the ball well and setting Cardiff on the front-foot.
- The hosts had a couple of early chances as winger Aled Summerhill just ran the ball into touch after collecting a cross-field kick, and second-row Seb Davies was brought down after a promising breakaway.
- Matthew Morgan scored the only try of the game as Gareth Anscombe threw a long pass out to the full-back following a period spent on Sale’s try line.
- Sale had a resurgence in the last quarter of the game but the Blues' defence was resolute and disciplined.
- Heineken Man of the Match Josh Navidi led the Cardiff line fantastically. Gareth Anscombe played well on his return from a five-month injury layoff. The fly-half kicked nine points.
- Both sides found it difficult to get any fluency due to wet and windy playing conditions in Cardiff.
- Blues lead Pool 2 by four points and next host third-placed Toulouse before finishing at nearest rivals Lyon. Sale are bottom of the pool on seven points.
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