Spirited Cardiff impress but fall short against powerful Leinster

A strong first-half performance wasn't enough for Cardiff who fell short against a powerful Leinster outfit.

Cardiff led 15-12 at the interval courtesy of two tries from the outstanding Rhys Carre but Leinster took control after the break as their more experienced bench outmuscled the hosts. The Welsh club started strongly with a powerful carry from No 8 Lopeti Timani setting the tone, but Leinster soon got into the game when Thomas Clarkson charged down a clearance kick from Tinus de Beer.

Clarkson raced clear before drawing in the final defender to put Rob Russell over for a try which Ross Byrne converted. Leinster handling was a joy to watch with their tip on passes from the point of contact opening up the Cardiff defence.

The hosts defended admirably but a try was inevitable with Max Deegan eventually forcing his way over the line for their second touchdown of the evening. Despite Leinster's early dominance Cardiff always looked dangerous with ball in hand as both Tinus de Beer and Aled Summerhill impressed offensively.

De Beer opened the scoring with three points from the kicking tee but Leinster came right back at Cardiff who relieved pressure when Thomas Young won a penalty at the breakdown. Cardiff eventually won field position and from a well-executed lineout Carre hit a tremendous angle to score, bumping off Ross Byrne in the process.

Cardiff's tails were up and de Beer was soon slicing through the Leinster defence before racing 45 metres up field and sending Young clear. The Wales international got tackled just short of the try line but Cardiff had so much momentum Leinster wing Jordan Lamour had no choice but to play the ball from an offside position with the Ireland international sent to the sin bin as a