Cardiff 36-52 Glasgow Warriors

Glasgow Warriors emerged victorious from an instant classic at the Arms Park this evening, running in eight tries to hold off a valiant Cardiff fightback and earn a 52-36 victory in the Welsh capital.

Braces for Kyle Rowe and Tom Jordan, as well as scores from Sione Tuipulotu, Matt Fagerson, Jamie Dobie and Huw Jones, earned all five points from a tough away test for Franco Smith’s men.

On a perfect evening for rugby, the Warriors immediately set about what they can do. With six minutes on the clock, early endeavour was rewarded with a scintillating score from the hands of Dobie. Spying a gap in the midfield, the scrum-half accelerated through the gears and through the defensive line, before stepping the last defender and touching down for a sublime solo effort. Jordan converted, and the visitors led 7-0.

Yet unbeaten in the opening two rounds, Cardiff quickly set off in pursuit of a response, and were rewarded after 12 minutes with their own opening score. Dan Thomas was the man to touch down despite a questionable challenge on Dobie on his own five-metre line, Callum Sheedy adding the extras to level the scores.

An end-to-end encounter was now in full flow, with the Warriors next to threaten as an overthrown Cardiff lineout allowed Johnny Matthews to go rampaging into the home side’s 22. Cardiff’s scramble defence would deny the hooker, but the two teams were here to play.

Instead, the home side was the next to trouble the scoreboard, crossing for their second try of the half as the opening quarter drew to a close. Advantage in hand inside the Glasgow 22, Ben Thomas would time his pass perfectly to put Cam Winnett through a gap, the full-back just about holding off the defence to touch down. Sheedy’s conversion would drift wide of the uprights though, leaving the score at 12-7 to the hosts.

Two minutes later, the Warriors were level. Sione Tuipulotu’s thunderous charge off a scrum on the Cardiff 22 took the centre to within 10 metres, before quick ball saw Dobie and Jordan slip Rowe through a hole for the simplest of runs-in. Like Sheedy before him, though, Jordan’s kick sailed past the post, the scoreline level at 12-12.

The fly-half would swiftly make amends, an outstanding defensive read on the half-hour mark resulting in Glasgow’s third try of the night. Defending an overlap, Jordan’s alertness saw him read the play perfectly to pick off the interception, shaking off an initial stumble and racing home from 70 metres to touch down under the posts. Converting his own try for good measure, the Warriors held a 19-12 advantage with 10 to play in the opening stanza.

Having fired a warning shot with his carry for Rowe’s try, Tuipulotu then produced his own moment of magic just five minutes later to secure Glasgow’s attacking bonus-point. Blasting through the challenge of Sheedy, the centre’s footwork and pace then took him clear of the cover, rounding Winnett to finish in style. Jordan converted, and Glasgow held a 26-12 lead – and there was one final flourish to come before the interval.

Once again, Jordan was at the heart of it, the fly-half punishing a loose kick from Sheedy by racing around the outside and fixing the final defender. Yet the offload inside to the onrushing Jones was a work of art, the centre finishing with aplomb to take Glasgow’s lead – once allied to Jordan’s conversion – to 33-12 at the half.

Urged on by the Arms Park faithful, Cardiff responded by striking first after the restart. Prolonged pressure inside the Glasgow 22 eventually saw replacement prop Ed Byrne burrow over in the corner, Tinus de Beer converting from the touchline to narrow the gap.

The home crowd was buzzing once more, with the noise levels raised again as Cardiff crossed for their own attacking bonus-point on 54 minutes. A set-piece move sent Mason Grady through a gap, offloading to Winnett on his shoulder. The full-back’s progress was halted by Rowe, but an inside ball sent Mackenzie Martin over the whitewash that – once converted by de Beer – brought Cardiff back within seven points.

A penalty from de Beer just shy of the hour mark continued the home side’s momentum, only for the Warriors to respond in much-needed fashion. Repeated penalties kicked to the corner saw Gregor Hiddleston pick out the tail of the lineout with a pinpoint throw, the maul too powerful to stop and sending Fagerson over for the score. Jordan converted, giving the visitors breathing space once more.

Yet the breathing space wouldn’t last long, as Cardiff hit back in kind. Ben Donnell was the man to eventually make the final yard and ground the ball, de Beer adding the extras to narrow the deficit to 40-36 with 10 minutes remaining.

Back came the Warriors once more, cancelling out Donnell’s score almost immediately. Euan Ferrie’s superb delayed ball sent Jack Dempsey charging into space, and when the ball was recycled, Rowe had the presence of mind to grubber ahead and regather to touch down next to the posts. Duncan Weir, fresh off the bench, converted, as the two-score lead was restored.

There was to be one final flourish on a wildly entertaining clash for the neutral, with one of the Glasgow veterans rolling back the years. With front-foot ball, Weir would show and go to shimmy through the defensive line, before finding Jordan on the wing with a perfectly-weighted pass to put him away for his second. Weir added the extras from out wide, taking the final score to 52-36 in favour of the men in black.

An eight try victory but still plenty to work on – a return home awaits the Warriors when Zebre Parma visit Scotstoun next Friday night.