Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyImage caption, Cardiff have won 11 league games this season
ByGareth GriffithsBBC Sport Wales- Published5 minutes ago
United Rugby Championship
Cardiff (17) 22
Tries: Beetham 2, Bowen, Lloyd, Cons: I Lloyd
Stormers (10) 13
Try: Smith Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu Pens: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2
Cardiff booked their United Rugby Championship (URC) play-off spot with a thrilling bonus-point victory against Stormers at the Arms Park.
Two tries from Jacob Beetham, a score from fellow wing Tom Bowen and seven points from fly-half Ioan Lloyd sealed the win and also a place in the European Champions Cup next season.
Stormers responded with try from Adre Smith and eight points from South Africa fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
The crowd of 10,143 also witnessed possibly the final appearance of former Wales and British and Irish Lions full-back Leigh Halfpenny when he came on as a 78th minute replacement.
Cardiff have risen to fourth in the table and will wait to see where they finish after the Munster and Lions game on Saturday.
If they finish outside the top four, Corniel van Zyl's team will be away from home in the quarter-finals on the final weekend of May.
Stormers are in danger of dropping to third in the final standings with Leinster potentially rising into second when they face Ospreys today.
The home performance was outstanding, especially when you consider they were missing a host of injured Wales internationals.
The Cardiff back-row trio was excellent, particularly flanker Dan Thomas at stealing possession at the breakdown, while number eight and player-of-the-match Taine Basham produced an outstanding ball-carrying display..
Fly-half Lloyd pulled the strings and there was some brilliant finishing from the Cardiff backs.
It was always going to be a frenetic final Friday night with Connacht away at Edinburgh and Ulster at home to Glasgow.
With Glasgow, Stormers, Leinster and Bulls having booked their play-off places, Lions, Munster, Cardiff and Ulster started the final round in the remaining spots with ninth-placed Connacht just outside.
Cardiff were in in seventh place, aiming to book the play-off place, while Stormers were second and hoping to seal top spot so they would be at home in a potential quarter-final, semi-final and final.
Cardiff were desperate to avoid history repeating itself, after they missed out on finishing in the top eight last season by just one point to fellow Welsh side Scarlets.
They managed this in style.
Lock Josh McNally was unavailable because he was playing for the Royal Air Force against the British Army tomorrow, while Wales forwards Alex Mann, Teddy Williams and Taulupe Faletau were also missing.
Halfpenny was named on the replacements bench after stepping in with Cardiff suffering a number of backline injuries, including Wales trio Callum Sheedy, Josh Adams and Mason Grady.
Fly-half Lloyd replaced Sheedy but made an early error from the kick-off which put the home side under pressure.
Cardiff captain Liam Belcher was shown a yellow card for conceding a penalty on his own line while the hosts' scrum was under intense pressure.
It was no surprise when Smith powered over and Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted.
Cardiff responded well as they firstly ran down the clock when they were down to 14 men with some effective close-quarter attacks, heavily involving Basham.
The home side capitalised when they were back to a full complement with a clever Lloyd cross kick finished by Beetham with the fly-half converting from the touchline.
Cardiff were rampant and, with centre Ben Thomas at the helm, the hosts created an excellent second try for Wales Under-20s wing Bowen who superbly squeezed in at the corner.
After the initial dominance, Stormers were unsettled but managed to reduce the deficit with a long-range Feinberg-Mngomezulu penalty.
Cardiff prop Danny Southworth looked as if he had scored the hosts' third try but it was disallowed because of a forward pass.
Smith was shown a yellow card for a high and dangerous tackle on Botham just before half-time as Cardiff made the extra player tell.
It was Lloyd that wriggled into the corner with another fine finish to give Cardiff a 17-10 interval lead.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu slotted over an early second-half penalty before more expert attacking from the home side resulted in the bonus-point try.
A clever tap penalty move created the space for Beetham to dive over for his second after set-up work from half-backs Johan Mulder and Lloyd.
Stormers desperately attacked but looked relatively clueless for a side who have been top of the table for so long this season.
Cardiff repelled their opponents, with their efforts typified by a thunderous Mulder tackle, another Thomas trademark turnover and an interception and line-out steal from unsung lock George Nott.
There was that wonderful moment when the crowd rose to the introduction of Halfpenny for potentially his finest appearance with two minutes to go.
Fittingly, despite a late yellow-card for replacement hooker Dafydd Hughes, Cardiff held on for victory and even denied Stormers a losing bonus-point.
How they lined up
Cardiff: Winnett; Beetham, B Thomas, Jennings, Bowen; I Lloyd, Mulder; Southworth, Belcher (capt), Sebastian, Nott, Thornton, Botham, D Thomas, Basham.
Replacements: D Hughes, Barratt, Assiratti, Lawrence, E Lloyd, E Bevan, S Emanuel, Halfpenny.
Yellow card: Belcher 5
Stormers: Willemse; Hartzenberg, Simelane, Roche, Zas; Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Khan; Mchunu, Venter, Fouche (capt), Smith, R van Heerden, P de Villiers, B-J Dixon, Roos.
Replacements: Kotze, Kebble, Sande, Moerat, Theunissen, Morabe, Ungerer, Matthee.
Yellow card: Smith 38, Hughes 80
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Ben Connor (Wales), Lucas Yendle (Wales).
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland).
