FULL TIME: Cardiff Met 56-28 Cardiff University
Reporter: Charlie Thomas
Cardiff Met made a stunning comeback to take the win from Cardiff University in this year’s opening Cardiff Clash.
A solo effort from scrum-half Finn Charles, which was converted, saw Cardiff Uni take a 0-7 lead within the opening 10 minutes, which was quickly followed by a converted Met reply.
There followed a messy period of the match, including missed penalties and a disallowed try. Cardiff Uni finally regained the lead through loosehead prop Joshua Twigg after continued pressure.7-14 the scoreline.
This pressure mounted further as the Met hooker Cerith Davied received a straight red after a dangerous tackle just 20 minutes in, resulting in the home-side dropping to 14 men.
Cardiff made the advantage count, Ollie Stirling crossing for two tries, with a Met try in between in a pulsating match. Cardiff Uni took a 14-28 lead with 10 minutes left of the half.
Despite the well-established lead, a rapid two try reply from Met saw the scoreline draw closer than expected as the half-time whistle blew, 26-28 the score at the break.
Despite their best efforts and constant support from the huge number of supporters that came to boost the team, Cardiff Uni couldn’t hold onto the lead as the second half got underway.
A Met try within the first few minutes of the second half set the tone for the remaining 40 minutes, as Cardiff’s best efforts in defence couldn’t stop the opening Clash of the season slowly slip away from them, coming away with just the 1 point from a possible 5.
With Durham up next week, Cardiff will be looking for more of the quality that was shown in the first half as they hope to pick up their second win of the season and build momentum through the autumn.
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