Bath 38-3 Cardiff Blues: Blackadder's men stroll past 14-man visitors
Last Updated: 16/12/16 1:31pm
Bath eased to a 38-3 win over the Blues at the Rec after the visitors were reduced to 14 men early in the second half.
The home side were 10-3 ahead at half-time thanks to a Ross Batty try and five points from the boot of George Ford, with Steve Shingler providing the Blues' only response from the kicking tee.
Early in the second half the Blues were reduced to 14 men temporarily when Kirby Myhill lifted Dave Attwood over the horizontal, and things went from bad to worse as George Earle was shown a red card a minute later for making contact with the face of Tom Ellis with his hand.
The two cards were sandwiched by a Jack Wilson try for Bath, and Aled Brew added his side's third in the 53rd minute. The Blues defence was resolute for a period thereafter, but Batty's second try and an easy run-in for Elliott Stooke in the 79th minute gave Bath a comfortable win to avenge their defeat at Cardiff Arms Park last weekend.
Ford and Jonathan Joseph were back in the Bath line-up for the first time since October following international duty, and after Shingler put the Blues ahead with a penalty, the England duo combined to set up hooker Batty for his first try in the 27th minute.
Ford added the conversion and a kicked penalty five minutes later before Shingler knocked on with the try-line beckoning under pressure from Ben Tapuai, which meant the home side carried their 10-3 lead into half time.
The Blues were reduced to 14 men in the opening stages of the second half when Myhill was shown a yellow card for a tip tackle on Attwood.
Bath soon took advantage of the extra man with Ford picking out winger Wilson, who stretched over to score in the corner.
But before Ford added the conversion, the Television Match Official highlighted George Earle appearing to make contact with Tom Ellis' eyes in the build-up to the try.
Referee Alexandre Ruiz had no other option than to show the lock a red card, with the visitors down to 13 momentarily.
The Welsh side conceded again in the 52nd minute, when a floated pass from Kahn Fotuali'i was well taken by former Cardiff Blues winger Aled Brew, who scrambled over to score.
After another Ford conversion the Blues then enjoyed their best spell of the game.
However, as they looked to breach Bath's 22-metre line in the 65th minute, a loose pass from replacement Nicky Robinson was picked off by Batty, who ran three-quarters the length of the pitch to complete his brace.
Having added another two points following the try, Ford kicked the ball beyond the Blues' 22-metre line in the dying seconds before Wilson and Francois Louw forced the turnover.
The latter picked out replacement lock Stooke for the try and Ford then put the finishing touch on a 38-3 win, slotting the conversion from an acute angle.
The bonus-point victory lifted Bath above the Blues at the top of Pool 4 on points difference.
