Saracens 40-33 Cardiff: Hosts knock vastly improved Welsh visitors out of Challenge Cup

Cardiff restored a measure of lost pride as they pushed Saracens all the way in Sunday’s European Challenge Cup last-16 tie at the StoneX Stadium.

The Welsh club had been hammered 49-14 by the Scarlets in their previous outing, a defeat that prompted severe and justified criticism. But Dai Young’s team were reading from a different playbook against Sarries as they fronted up in defence and had their moments in attack with Tomos Williams outstanding.

They were leading 20-16 in the third quarter, only for their English host to hit back with four tries in 17 minutes, all of which official man-of-the-match Max Malins had a hand in.

Read more:The 12 best Welsh rugby teams of the past 50 years ranked

It was a purple patch that effectively settled the game, though Cardiff went down fighting, with a late Rhys Carre try setting up keeping them in the match until the very end.

But they couldn’t take proceedings into extra time.

For Saracens, Sean Maitland scored two tries and there was one apiece from Dominic Morris, Malins and Aled Davies, with Owen Farrell adding the rest of their points.

Cardiff’s touchdowns came from Williams, Owen Lane and Rhys Carre. Rhys Priestland kicked 16 points and Jarrod Evans supplied a conversion.

The defeat brought the curtain down on Wales’ European season, a campaign that unfolded without a Welsh team winning a single game on the field. Covid-quarantine issues affected Cardiff and the Scarlets, in particular, but all concerned will hope for much better next term.

Eight days on losing heavily to the Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship, Cardiff were combative and didn’t back down in the collisions, with Corey Domachowski unceremoniously slamming the door shut on Maro Itoje early on and Josh