Cardiff Blues sign off season with Ospreys scalp

Cardiff Blues defeated the Ospreys 29-20 at Rodney Parade in the final game of Welsh rugby’s domestic season.

Wales wing Josh Adams scored one try and made another for Jason Harries in front of his watching international head coach Wayne Pivac.

Dan Evans and Luke Morgan scored the Ospreys’ tries, but they were let down by their discipline and Blues fly-half Jason Tovey took advantage with a perfect record of two conversions and five penalties.

This game was being played at Rodney Parade rather than the Blues’ usual Cardiff Arms Park home which is still being used as a medical facility to counter the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stephen Myler rewarded the Ospreys – whose defeat means they finish bottom of Conference A in the Guinness Pro14 – for a promising start with an early penalty and it was the visitors who had more of the ball in the opening 10 minutes.

Tovey and Myler exchanged penalties before the Blues grabbed the first try.

Max Llewellyn and Adams were the architects with breaks before the ball was spread back left. Blues captain Josh Navidi was involved and it was left to Harries who finished acrobatically in the corner despite being under little pressure. Tovey nailed the touchline conversion.

With nothing of significance riding on the encounter both sides were guilty of poor kicking out of hand and a series of big hits failed to hide the game’s lack of quality.

Llewellyn limped off with an ankle injury, but that failed to stop the Blues from making it two tries in fine fashion. This time Harries was creator as he came off his right wing and kicked through.

The Ospreys should have done better defensively and Adams pounced to score in exactly the same corner as Harries had for his seventh try in eight Blues games. Tovey’s kick was again perfect.

Justin Tipuric started the away response. He collected a kick ahead and although he was stopped, the Ospreys had a huge overlap when the ball was recycled.

Evans was the scorer and Myler kicked the goal.

Tovey responded with two quick penalties when the second half resumed to put the Blues 10 points up as the Ospreys got on the wrong side of referee Adam Jones’ whistle.

The Blues penalties kept coming and Tovey’s sixth kick of the afternoon kept up his pinpoint performance from the tee.

Jones had seen enough of the Ospreys’ poor discipline and yellow carded Olly Cracknell as his team were lucky to escape Adams having what would have been his second try ruled out.

Both teams unloaded their benches for the final quarter, but yet another Tovey penalty finished the game before Morgan grabbed a late consolation after being set up by Tipuric and Alun Wyn Jones.