Cardiff 30-13 Benetton: Players put turbulent week behind them to secure bonus point win

Cardiff's players put a turbulent week behind them to record a crucial bonus point victory over Benetton in the United Rugby Championship.

Two first-half tries from Owen Lane and a further scores after the break from James Ratti and Ben Thomas were enough to get past the Italian outfit at the Arms Park on Saturday night - allowing the Blue and Blacks to celebrate Lloyd Williams becoming the club's most-capped player in the professional era in style.

After an eventful week where the long-lasting uncertainty over players' futures finally came to a head, it was always going to be interesting to see how they reacted. A lack of effort is never something you'll level at professional players, but, as we saw with the Ospreys on Friday night, it's only natural for the stress of the past 18 months to have some sort of effect.

However, despite not having any Wales internationals released back to them and losing a couple of crucial players early on to injury, Dai Young's side showed plenty of resolve to avoid a fourth consecutive league defeat and improve their chances of a play-off spot.

The first seven minutes were breathless, with Lane's brace coming either side of Rhyno Smith's score.

Lane's first score came after two minutes, with Cardiff winning a penalty shortly after the kick-off. Sticking it into the corner, the presence of Max Llewellyn - making his first start since December after injury - held defenders and opened the space for Lane to force his way over as Cardiff wrapped around the maul.

The Italian outfit hit back almost instantly, with full-back Smith scoring in the corner after wing Mattia Bellini went close.

However, the Benetton full-back would find himself helpless to stop Lane's second minutes later. Having