Glasgow 7 Cardiff 30: match report

By Alasdair Reid Published: 10:23PM GMT 19 Feb 2010

In action: Glasgow"s Max Evans in action during the Magners League match at Firhill Photo: PA

Glasgow came into this match at Firhill as Magners League leaders, but their understrength side delivered a performance that did not even begin to hint at that status.

Their supporters may have been baying for the blood of referee Dudley Phillips, who took a distinctly laissez-faire attitude to Cardiffs exploration of the offside line, but Glasgows own error-strewn display was at the root of their defeat.

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Cardiffs win was their first Magners League victory away from home this season, while the seven points Glasgow took from a late Max Evans try and Colin Gregor conversion was their lowest total of the current campaign. Any higher number would have been more than they deserved for a feeble display in which they failed to put together a single credible attack after the first 20 minutes.

Even then, in a game that should have meant a lot to some of their more peripheral players, Glasgow were strangely slow to get into their stride, being beaten to the loose ball on a number of occasions in the first quarter.

As a result, the Blues moved into an early 6-0 lead with two Ben Blair penalties, an advantage that was a tribute more to their sharpness than any domination of territory and possession.

In fairness, Glasgow did have chances of their own, but fly-half Ruaridh Jackson sent three penalty efforts wide of the posts in that first 20 minutes. The first was an optimistic strike from near halfway, but the second and third attempts were well within his range.

Jackson may have been hampered by a collision with flanker Maama Molitika inside the first few minutes, when he sustained a thigh injury that required heavy strapping. However, with Dan Parks rested, Glasgow had no other kicker available, so Jackson had no option but to carry on.

Daniel van der Merwe, Glasgows Canada international winger, was probably the most threatening attacker in the Scots backline, denuded as it was by a number of interational call-offs. Van der Merwe made a couple of threatening breaks down the left side, but his colleagues were too slow to react and the moves fizzled out.

The Blues brought a poor away record into the game, but they looked keen to change that reputation with real thrust in their attacks, and they moved further ahead in the 34th minute when Blair kicked his third penalty a passage that was doubly damaging for Glasgow as they lost winger Hefin OHare to the sin bin for the offside offence that brought the award.

Jacksons woes continued as he delivered a succession of poorly judged kicks, a problem that meant Glasgow never really achieved the field position or the momentum to start clawing back Cardiffs lead.

Glasgows problems were not helped by a referee who gave them few favours, but the official could hardly be blamed for the slapdash defending that led to Cardiffs try a minute into the second half. The Blues had it all too easy as they gnawed off territory through the phases, eventually winning the position from which scrum-half Gareth Cooper nipped over the line for the score.

Blairs conversion put Cardiff 16-0 in front a mountain of a challenge to Glasgow given the way they were playing. The Scots scrum gave them a decent platform, but they struggled at the lineouts following the early departure of hooker Dougie Hall.

The rot continued for Glasgow as they conceded a second try, to Blues centre Casey Laulala in the 55th minute, then all but laid on a welcoming committee for winger Tom James as he took advantage of some execrable tackling to claim the third touchdown five minutes later.

Blair converted both on a night when the salt just kept pouring into the Glasgow wounds. Evanss 80th minute try did not take the sting out of that.

Match details

Glasgow: B Stortoni (P Murchie, 62; H OHare, M Evans, P Horne (A Dunbar, 59), DTH van der Merwe; R Jackson (C Gregor, 55), M McMillan (captain); J Welsh (K Tkachuk, 62), D Hall (F Thomson, 6), M Low, T Barker, R Gray, J Eddie, C Fusaro (P Burke, 67), R Vernon (D Turner, 53). T: Evans C: Gregor

Cardiff Blues: B Blair (S Norton-Knight, 64); T James, C Laulala, T Shanklin (D Hewitt, 74), C Czekaj; C Sweeney, G Cooper (D Allinson, 71); T Filise, T Thomas, G Powell (S Andrews, 67), D Jones, P Tito (captain; S Morgan, 59), M Molitika (A Pretorious, 40), B White, X Rush. T: Cooper, Laulala, James C: Blair (3) P: Blair (3)

Referee: D Phillips (Ireland)