Heineken Cup - Sunday round-up: Blues through

Eurosport - Mon, 19 Jan 12:53:00 2009

Cardiff Blues beat Gloucester 16-12 at Kingsholm to guarantee top spot in Pool Six of the Heineken Cup and book a place in the quarter-finals.

Gloucester Rugby's Luke Narraway and Alasdair Dickinson tackle Cardiff Blue's Martyn Williams. - 0

The defeat means Gloucester can only progress as one of two group runners-up if they achieve a bonus-point win against Biarritz in the last round of matches and other results go their way.

Replacement Bradley Davies scored the only try of the match for the Blues on 75 minutes, lunging over after a period of concerted pressure on the Gloucester line.

Leigh Halfpenny contributed 11 points with the boot for the Welsh side, with Olly Barkley kicking all 12 of Gloucester's points from penalties.

Cardiff's win was all the more remarkable for the fact they were reduced to 14 men on 28 minutes when Tom James was sent off for a headbutt on Gloucester's Olivier Azam.

Llanelli Scarlets 31-17 Stade Francais

Stade Francais went crashing out of the Heineken Cup with defeat against Llanelli at Stradey Park in Pool Four.

The French side can now only reach a total of 16 points, which will not be good enough to progress as runners-up. Stade's loss was good news for Harlequins, however, who are now assured of top spot and a place in the quarter-finals.

David Lyons and John Davies (2) scored tries for Llanelli, with Wales fly-half Stephen Jones contributing 16 points with the boot.

Two tries from fly-half Guillaume Bousses, a late score for Mauro Bergamasco and a solitary conversion from Lionel Beauxis provided the Stade Francais reply.

Newport-Gwent Dragons 12-15 Bath

Tries from winger Joe Maddock and lock Stuart Hooper helped Bath to a hard-earned victory against the Dragons at Rodney Parade and put them top of Pool Five.

Bath will now face second-place Toulouse in the group decider next week, knowing that the winner will be assured of a place in the quarter-finals.

Richard Fussell and Wayne Evans scored tries for the Dragons, who pushed Bath all the way, before Hooper's 66th minute try sealed victory.

Eurosport

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  1. Shed Head, agreed he had to be sent off, but you make­ no comment on Azams actions. I thought Gloucester­ supporters liked rough and tumble, not lets go down­ like sacks of s**t to get an opponent sent off.

    From mazbamf, on Mon 19 Jan 2:51AM

  2. In reply to Graham S and his comment about hard men,­ Graham did you think Olivier Azam was ever going to get­ up from that head but? Please dont talk rubbish when­ the rugby players are using the same drama school­ tactics as the footballers. There is as much­ playacting and law breaking in both codes at the Mo so­ lets just be honest about it and maybe we can get the­ cheating actors out eh ?

    From mazbamf, on Mon 19 Jan 2:48AM

  3. aslong as we beat the english we dont care

    From Taff, on Sun 18 Jan 9:59PM

  4. Football...oh yes that game where as soon as you stand­ on another player's shadow he hits the ground as if­ shot at point blank range by a howitzer. And they have­ the cheek to call some of them 'hardmen'. Bert­ Trautmann - now there was a hard footballer...broke his­ neck and still carried on playing...

    From Graham S, on Sun 18 Jan 9:02PM

  5. egg chasers....yawn,yawn, oh a headbutt,how civilised­ you all are..yawn,yawn

    From andy, on Sun 18 Jan 7:56PM

  6. I was at Kingsholm, about 10m from the headbutt, he­ deserved a red for it.

    Gloucester played really badly,­ kicked at the wrong times, our running game was awful­ and we didn't make the extra man count. Cardiff­ were really solid, well done.

    Shed Head.

    From Jonny Justice, on Sun 18 Jan 7:21PM

  7. read the article again! Duh

    From suzicer, on Sun 18 Jan 6:32PM
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    From Social K, on Sun 18 Jan 6:03PM

  9. The headbutt was on Olivier Azam not Gareth Williams,­ duh

    From Rude God, on Sun 18 Jan 5:51PM
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  11. Its on Eurosport HD not standard channel.

    From barfbears, on Sun 18 Jan 3:30PM
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