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Anscombe clinches Challenge Cup with late kick

By Jack Davies

Gareth Anscombe kicked a penalty with a minute left on the clock to clinch a 31-30 victory for Cardiff Blues in the European Rugby Challenge Cup final against Gloucester in Bilbao.

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The Welsh region trailed 20-6 at half-time but came out fighting in the second 40 minutes and, after missing a conversion that would have pulled them level four minutes from time, Anscombe made no mistake with his next pressure kick to seal a famous win.

Victory for the Blues sees them secure European honours for the first time since winning the Challenge Cup in 2010 – also the only previous silverware for a Welsh side.

The Blues were dealt an early blow when Wales flanker Josh Navidi was forced off with a shoulder injury, although they were first to get points on the board through a Jarrod Evans penalty.

Billy Burns’ pin-point cross-field kick set up Henry Trinder for the game’s first try and, with Billy Twelvetrees having added the extras, Callum Braley forced Blaine Scully into touch as he dived for the line at the other end.

Another Evans kick from the tee brought the Blues back within a point, but Twelvetrees re-opened the gap before Lewis Ludlow was denied a try after Josh Hohneck was harshly deemed to have delivered a pass forwards in the build-up.

A late flurry of points before half-time – coming courtesy of a Mark Atkinson score and the boot of captain Twelvetrees – sent the Cherry and Whites in with a 14-point advantage at the break.

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The Blues flew out of the blocks at the beginning of the second half, though, and were in front after 56 minutes, as tries from Tomos Williams and Garyn Smith – despite suspicions of offside against the latter – helped them into a 23-20 lead.

James Hanson crossed to put Gloucester back in front and the two-time champions were 30-23 to the good when Ludlow was sent to the sin bin after the Premiership outfit were penalised for offside.

Scully, having been denied earlier in the match, managed to stay inside the confines of the pitch on this occasion as he stretched for the whitewash under pressure from Twelvetrees, but Anscombe could not level the scoreline from tight on the touchline.

But he was afforded another opportunity to make a decisive kick – this time for a match-winning three points from the opposite flank – and the Wales international sent the ball sailing between the posts to the delight of the Welsh contingent inside San Mames.

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You may also like: Sexton looks ahead to Champions Cup

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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FEATURE Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby? Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?
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