Cardiff moved up to third in the URC table as they beat the reigning league champions in a hugely tense encounter at a rainswept Arms Park.

Scrum-half Aled Davies scored their try amid a Player of the Match performance while they ran down the clock superbly in the final stages despite being down to 14 men for an extended period following a yellow card to Jacob Beetham.

Second placed Leinster had arrived in the Welsh capital having won 11 games in a row in all competitions, but that run was brought to an end as Cardiff claimed a crucial, hard fought victory to remain on course for a place in the end of season play-offs.

They had been boosted by the release of three players from Wales’ Six Nations squad in the shape of hooker Liam Belcher, centre Ben Thomas and wing Mason Grady, with Belcher captaining the side.

There was also a return from international duty for Wales U20s winger Tom Bowen, with Test prop Kieron Assiratti fit to sit alongside him on the bench having recovered from a calf injury. They were joined among the replacements by 20-year-old Academy back rower Evan Rees.

It had been raining heavily for a couple of hours before kick-off and it was still pouring down when the game got underway in front of a crowd of 7,571.

After a fractious opening which saw a mass flare-up in the very first play, Leinster suffered an early blow when their one Ireland Six Nations squad member on duty – fly-half Harry Byrne – was forced off to be replaced by Charlie Tector.

Then came a further setback as Tector was yellow carded within ten minutes of arriving on the field following a no-arms tackle on Ben Thomas.

Handed a numerical advantage, Cardiff opened the scoring on 19 minutes when Callum Sheedy slotted a penalty after setting up the attacking position with a pinpoint 50-22.

Once the game returned to 15-a-side, the rain started coming down heavier than ever making it increasingly difficult for both sides to hold on to the ball.

Then, on 36 minutes, Leinster took the unusual step of making four front five replacements before the break, with Springboks second row RG Snyman and France Test tighthead Rabah Slimani among the reinforcements.

Turning round with a narrow 3-0 lead, Cardiff found themselves playing against the wind in the second half, albeit with the rain having relented somewhat.

Nevertheless, the hosts proceeded to monopolise territory through some astute kicking and determined chasing.

Then, on 54 minutes, they struck.

Fielding a clearance midway inside his own half, full-back Cam Winnett feinted as though to kick but instead launched a counter as he side-stepped Luke McGrath and released Mason Grady who stormed down the left touchline, fending off flanker Scott Penny along the way.

Dan Thomas then provided classic openside support as he took an inside feed from Grady before giving the scoring pass to scrum-half Aled Davies who touched down for his first try for the club.

But then, 15 minutes from time, it was Cardiff’s turn to be reduced to 14 men as winger Beetham was sin binned for a deliberate knock on after attempting to intercept a Snyman pass one-handed.

The visitors capitalised immediately with winger Andrew Osborne breaking through and giving a one-handed scoring offload to fellow replacement Luke McGrath, with the scrum-half touching down under the posts and Tector converting.

That cut the deficit to just a point, but the hosts marshalled and controlled the remainder of the sin bin period really well.

In fact, they retained the ball so effectively in a protracted last play that Beetham didn’t actually get back on the field before the final whistle sounded to signal joyful celebrations both on and off the field.