Confident Blues breeze past Sarries

Cardiff opened their Powergen Cup campaign with a comfortable win over Saracens.

Cardiff 37-20 Saracens

Powergen Cup, Cardiff Arms Park, Saturday October 1

Cardiff Blues got their Powergen Cup campaign off and running in fine style with a 37-20 victory over Saracens.

The match held a contrast in styles, with the Welsh side fluently spreading the ball wide as their opponents relied on the brute strength of their forward line.

Having won their last two Celtic League matches, the Blues approached the game on a high and their confidence showed early on as they spurned an easy penalty, preferring instead to press for the line.

But, despite pressure from Maama Molitika and Chris Czekaj, stout Sarries' defending prevented the finishing touch from being applied.

Cardiff's deserved breakthrough eventually came via a Saracens error: a loose pass from centre Kevin Sorrell being intercepted by Craig Morgan, the left wing then sprinting 40 yards to score.

Nicky Robinson converted, as he did again when older brother Jamie took a neat flick pass by Craig Quinell to score the Blues' second try.

Saracens finally gave themselves scoreboard presence via a Glen Jackson penalty, but Cardiff promptly went further ahead when a Nicky Robinson break was progressed by full back Rhys Williams, before Robin Sowden-Taylor touched down.

Nicky Robinson again converted, but Sorrell then made up for his earlier error by brushing aside some weak tackles to go under the post for Saracens' first try of the evening.

Jackson kicked the extras, but a Nicky Robinson penalty in first-half injury time gave the home side a comfortable 24-10 half-time lead.

Robinson opened the second-half by hitting the woodwork with a long range drop goal effort before trading penalties with Jackson.

Quinnell was then sin-binned, with Saracens hooker Matt Cairns taking advantage with a try from a maul, Jackson again converting.

But Sorrell and lock Iain Fullarton also saw yellow, with Cardiff sealing victory with a fourth try - and bonus point - coming when a break from scrum half Mike Phillips was finished by Nicky Robinson.

Cardiff Blues (24) 37.
Tries: Morgan, J. Robinson, Sowden-Taylor, N. Robinson.
Cons: N. Robinson 4.
Pens: N. Robinson 3.

Saracens (10) 20.
Tries: Sorrell, Cairns. Cons: Jackson 2. Pens: Jackson 2.
Att: 8,212