CARDIFF Men’s 1sts…............43
IMPERIAL Men’s 1sts….............8
WITH CONFIDENCE high after a four match-winning streak, and a home game against bottom of the league side Imperial College London, the first team went into the game with confidence. Last week Cardiff beat Imperial’s medics, but now it was Imperial’s first team that were to test Cardiff’s winning streak.
Cardiff welcomed the return of fullback/fly-half Codey Rees back after injury and work commitments, and within five minutes had kicked his first three points of campaign for the home side. The penalty was followed by the first of openside flanker Ed Hampson’s tries in close quarters with the help of the pack picking and driving over the line.
A poor restart and poor clearance kick by Imperial led to an opening for right wing Brett Chaplain, who ghosted past two tackles before rounding the fullback’s weak tackle for a well taken personal try, Rees kicking both conversions. Lock Alex Lester scored the next try after a lovely piece of interplay between the Cardiff pack and backs showing their passing skills and leaving Imperial to chase the air.
The next points came to the away team through a penalty by the team’s hooker. The first half came to a close as 24-3 Cardiff continued to be the dominating team. They whipped out solid tackles and strong work by the pack in the scrum and line-out, with all the backs searching to run the ball. Fly-half Cameron Pimlo was a constant threat with ball in hand making half chances throughout the half.
The second half brought more of the same from the driving Cardiff side, and an outstanding finish by prop Andrew Cassidy burst clear from the half way line to score after another turnover from the tireless work of back row Nick Huntley, Stuart Henry and Ed Hampson.
Cardiff began to defend after this last try with a few heroic tryline tackles by Lester’s replacement Tom Penry Ellis and rest of the back row. Imperial finally got their try with a quirky move from the back of the scrum five meters out, reversing play to put their outside centre over, with their hooker unable to convert the score continued to be against the away team at 29-8.
After Imperial’s try, Cardiff got a second wind. Their tackling became more aggressive in the break down area, none more evident that the combined work of the back row. Credit must go to prop Aled Mason, who continued to work hard in the tackle. Hampson then grabbed his brace after a bulldozing run by number eight Huntley, closely followed by another effortless-looking finish by Hampson’s number double on the wing Chaplain, with Rees converting both and finishing with a tally of thirteen today.
Captain Aaron Fowler added after the game: “Another winning performance again, with the boys showing good spirit to grind out the win, when at times it was a bit scrappy. Hopefully we can continue to maintain this consistency and be at the top of the league and look for promotion at the end of the year”.
If confidence remains high and the defence stays strong, Cardiff can be hopeful in the bid for promotion.
