Cardiff completed their preparations for the 2025-26 season with an impressive 31-10 victory over Leinster at Tallaght Stadium, Dublin.
The Blue & Blacks, playing in their new eye-catching pink alternate kit, played some scintillating rugby in a highly entertaining first half.
Tom Bowen crossed but on another day Matt Sherratt’s men could easily have finished another three or four in the opening 40 minutes, with decisions and handling going against them.
Leinster led at the break, despite Cardiff’s attacking threats, thanks to two tries of their own through Hugh Cooney and Charlie Tector.
Harri Millard crossed to level the scores early in the second-half and after controlling much of the half, Cardiff turned the screw in the final quarter.
Evan Lloyd powered over for a brace, either side of a decisive score from Cam Winnett, with Ioan Lloyd converting all three.
Following last week’s victory over Richmond FC, Cardiff go into a weekend break before kicking off the BKT United Rugby Championship season against Emirates Lions on Saturday, September 27.
The hosts made an assured start at Tallaght Stadium, home of Shamrock Rovers, with Harry Byrne kicking well out of hand and enjoying an early 50-22, but it was Cardiff who scored first.
It was their first real attacking opportunity and they displayed good continuity before Callum Sheedy dropped a perfectly-weighted cross-kick to Tom Bowen.
The electric wing fainted with a step inside and beat his opposite number on the outside to claim his third try of pre-season.
Attacking Promise
Moments later he almost created a second as Cardiff broke from their own try-line but after kicking ahead and regathering, his offload inside to Harri Millard was adjudged to have gone forward.
Cardiff tested Leinster once more on 18 minutes when some neat footwork from Callum Sheedy saw the fly-half jink his way through the Irish defence. He released Taine Basham on the inside and the back-row tore towards the try-line before being tackled short by Hugo McLaughlin.
Basham attempted an offload from the floor but it was slapped forward by a Leinster hand and the opportunity was lost.
Alex Soroka was subsequently sent to the sin-bin and Cardiff kicked to the corner but Leinster were able to steal possession and clear their lines.
Cardiff continued to display their attacking intent and again went from their own try-line after the ball failed to trickle over for Sheedy.
He combined with Bowen, who released Harri Millard. The centre spun to collect the pass and scorched down the left before finding Teddy Williams in support. The second-row cantered forward and ensured the move continued, but his switch pass back failed to find hands and what would have been an outrageous length of the field try was never to be.
Bowen and Millard combined again on 26, with a last-gasp tap-tackle by Jordan Larmour denying the young wing a second. Cardiff recycled and a phase later Johan Mulder sniped over but the score was harshly ruled out for crossing by referee Peter Martin.
For all the good work, it was Leinster who claimed the next score following a searing break from McLaughlin. He was tackled short but the opportunity was taken in unconventional fashion as Byrne hooked a hanging chip-kick to the corner and Leinster collected to score.
Cardiff finished the half strong with Adams and Bowen combining down the right. They went coast to coast and back to the right where Bowen finished acrobatically in the corner, but he was bizarrely adjudged to have knocked on in the process of scoring.
Leinster took the lead in injury time as Charlie Tector collected a well-weighted grubber to the corner with the impressive Stef Emanuel down.
Byrne missed the conversion, meaning Leinster took a 10-5 lead into the break and Cardiff returned without Emanuel.
Half-time: Leinster 10 Cardiff Rugby 5
Beetham replaced the centre, while Aled Davies and Keiron Assiratti were also half-time introductions.
They levelled the scores on 43 minutes following a fine break from Adams on the right. Some slick hands and offloads maintained momentum when he was brought down by a tap-tackle, before Sheedy dinked a kick to the corner which Millard collected.
Sheedy’s touchline conversion sailed wide in difficult conditions and while the game lost a bit of shape with both teams making multiple changes, it was Cardiff that controlled affairs with the wind at their backs.
Marginal decisions continued to favour the home side but Cardiff needed no second invite when they were given a penalty close to the line.
They opted for a tap penalty and the pack powered Evan Lloyd over the whitewash, with his namesake Ioan adding the extras for a 17-10 lead.
Sherratt’s side took a significant step towards victory when Evan Lloyd fired a long cut-out pass, which Iestyn Harris would have been proud of, to Ellis Bevan on the wing.
He offloaded to Winnett, who wriggled over for the decisive try and Lloyd again converted to give his side a 14-point lead.
And in the closing stages a driving lineout handed replacement hooker Lloyd his second, with Ioan Lloyd making it 31-10 at full-time.
Full time: Leinster Rugby 10 Cardiff Rugby 31
Leinster Rugby: Tries – H Cooney, C Trector
Cardiff Rugby: Tries – T Bowen, H Millard, E Lloyd (2), C Winnett; Cons – I Lloyd (3)