Latest
Overview
Season so far
Tournament record
Danny Wilson has warned his Cardiff Blues team to clean up their act before facing Pau in the European Rugby Challenge Cup. - 19/10/2016 10:57
Danny Wilson has warned his Cardiff Blues team to clean up their act before facing Pau in the European Rugby Challenge Cup.
Cardiff Blues made a winning start in Europe this season with a comprehensive 33-20 victory over Bristol in Pool 4 despite finishing the game with 14 men following a late yellow card for Wales prop Gethin Jenkins.
That was the fifth card shown to a Cardiff player in four games after Dan Fish, Josh Navidi, Rhys Gill and Josh Turnbull also got their marching orders in previous games.
Now head coach Wilson knows they cannot afford that type of indiscipline if they are to realise their ambitions of progressing to the knock-out stage of the Challenge Cup as they prepare to face Pau at the BT Sports Arms Park.
“We are receiving far too many yellow cards because we’ve had five in the last four games and that is simply too high,” said a concerned Wilson.
“We are making a lot of progress in our game, the set-piece has been going well and some of our attack play is really good, but yellow cards can be game-changing moments.
“Some can be unlucky but how we handle those periods, when you are reduced to 14 men, is really important but you also have to physically man-up. We did that much better at Bristol than we did against Ospreys the previous week.”
It was another Welshman who saw yellow against Pau last week, though Aled Brew got away with costing Bath victory thanks to 20-points from Wales fly-half Rhys Priestland.
Bath held out to claim a 25-23 win at Stade du Hameau despite Pau out-scoring their English visitors three tries to one after Romain Buros, Watisoni Votu and Sean Dougall all crossed to claim a losing bonus point though could not end Pau’s run of eight losses in a row in the Challenge Cup.
Rhys Gill, one of eight Cardiff players named this week in the Wales squad for next month’s autumn series, said: “It’s never easy when you face a French team. Pau have a big, physical pack and some superstars who can really hurt you with individual moments of brilliance. But we’re going well and we want to make the Arms Park a tough place to come.”
Match Facts
- The clubs are meeting for the first time in European competition.
- Pau have lost back-to-back Challenge Cup games in Wales, managing just nine points in those two fixtures.
- The Blues have won five of their previous six home matches in the competition (L1).
- The 2010 winners have won back to back games in the competition but haven’t won three on the bounce in the Challenge Cup since their first six games in the competition.
- Pau have lost 11 of 13 games since reaching the final in 2005, losing the last eight in a row.
Cardiff Blues retook top-spot in European Rugby Challenge Cup Pool 4 but failed to bag a bonus-point in a convincing 27-12 triumph over Pau. - 21/10/2016 21:09
Cardiff Blues retook top-spot in European Rugby Challenge Cup Pool 4 but failed to bag a bonus-point in a convincing 27-12 triumph over Pau.
Bath had moved to the summit with their derby triumph over Bristol, but a brace of tries from Cory Allen and Blaine Scully’s early score maintained the Blues’ 100 percent start. Steve Shingler booted 12 points to keep Pau at arm’s length after Daniel Ramsay’s score, but they could not break through for the crucial bonus-point try. Instead, Bastien Pourailly crossed for a consolation at the death.
The Blues got off to a red-hot start after four minutes. Shingler delivered a perfectly timed pass to Allen in midfield and the Wales centre sliced through the defence. He found Dan Fish in support, who drew the covering defence to send Scully crashing over at the corner.
The wing still had plenty to do but made it look easy. Shingler converted from out-wide before he landed a penalty from in-front of the posts to give the hosts a 10-0 lead. But the resilient French side came fighting back through their skipper Ramsay, who crashed over from close range to cut the gap to five points.
But Shingler maintained his 100 percent record with the boot to notch a second penalty, before the Blues held firm in defence to keep their 13-5 advantage intact at half-time.
Danny Wilson’s men started the second period as they began the first – with a try. Shingler was at the heart of it again as he delayed a pass for Allen to run in unopposed from five metres out. He landed the conversion once again to make it 20-5, and it did not take long for the third try to come.
And it was that man Allen again. The ball was worked wide from a close range scrum, and the Wales centre fended off the covering defence to score. Shingler made it four successful kicks from four, but the Welsh region could not find a vital bonus-point try.
Instead it was Pau who finished the match in fine fashion as Pourailly crossed at the death.
LIVE - TEST - Commentary