Gloucester face uphill task after Blues raid Kingsholm

Gloucester 12 Cardiff Blues 16: Gloucester will head to Biarritz on Friday with their Heineken Cup destiny no longer in their own hands after 14-man Cardiff produced a stunning raid on Kingsholm, writes Steve Cotton.

The Blues, who had beaten Gloucester 37-24 in the Welsh capital earlier in the Pool Six campaign, overcame Tom James' 30th-minute red card for a foolish butt on Olivier Azam to grind out a deserved victory.

And as they joined a list that includes Munster, Wasps, Leicester and London Irish – all of whom have found Gloucester wanting on the big occasions in recent seasons – the Blues secured their place in the last eight of the Heineken Cup.

With top spot in Pool Six now unachievable, Gloucester must beat Biarritz at Parc des Sports Aguilera and hope results elsewhere go their way if they are to reach the last eight as one of the two best pool runners-up.

But their European ambitions hang by the thinnest of threads after Bradley Davies' try, scored with five minutes to play, gave Cardiff a victory which underlined the frailties of Dean Ryan's squad.

Gloucester were overpowered and out-thought by a Cardiff side whose determination and desire – even when playing with one man down for 50 minutes – hinted they may not be too far from becoming the first Welsh side to go all the way in the competition.

Having shown their attacking flair and invention at the Millennium Stadium in October, the Blues proved they can mix it in the closer quarters yesterday, edging the physical battle despite their numerical disadvantage.

Gloucester had led 6-3 when James stuck his head into Azam's and saw red, a decision Cardiff director of rugby David Young felt was "probably technically correct – but when I was playing, you didn't see hookers going down like that".

But despite Olly Barkley adding two further penalties to his early efforts, Gloucester failed to heed several warnings that Cardiff were gaining the ascendency prior to replacement lock Davies' late score, which was converted by Leigh Halfpenny to turn a 12-9 deficit into the 16-12 lead they held until the end.

"We have got to be smarter about how we play, when we play and where we play at crucial times," said Gloucester head coach Ryan.

"I can't hide my disappointment. What happened highlighted some of the things we have highlighted before, so we have got to be disappointed when we have been aware of those things and worked on them. It is clear we have not made enough progress to compete at this level.

"The highest level of Heineken Cup rugby is based on things like physicality, kicking game and discipline – yet we have repeatedly come second in those bits of the game.

"There is still a mathematical possibility of us reaching the last eight, so we have got to go to Biarritz and do our part of it."

Yesterday, Gloucester failed to control their parts of a game they needed to win. And while the Saturday lunchtime withdrawals of England pair Mike Tindall and Olly Morgan did little to help matters, the early dismissal of James when Gloucester were in front could clearly not be viewed as a hindrance.

Gloucester took an early lead when Barkley landed a 53-metre penalty after Cardiff were penalised at a scrum, only for Halfpenny to restore parity following an offside.

Barkley made it 6-3 when Cardiff killed the ball – and then came the drama which saw James sent off just seconds after a promising Blues attack had broken down metres from the line.

Cardiff went over the top at a ruck, allowing Barkley to make it 9-3, and the centre hit the bar with another penalty shortly before the break as Gloucester looked like taking charge.

But Cardiff dominated proceedings after the break, cutting the Gloucester lead to three points through another Halfpenny penalty when the full-back was shoved by Marco Bortolami.

The Blues thought they had scored the first try of the match 13 minutes into the second half – which was little surprise given referee Alan Lewis appeared to signal the score was good, only to then refer the decision to his television official, who judged Jason Spice was held up by Alex Brown.

Gloucester's second-half forays into Cardiff territory were rare, but on one visit they were unfortunate that Willie Walker knocked on after they had snatched possession.

Barkley relieved some pressure with his fourth successful penalty to make it 12-6, before 20-year-old Halfpenny kicked his side back to within three points when acting Gloucester skipper Luke Narraway was penalised on the floor.

And Cardiff's persistence paid off. With five minutes left, Walker's kick to touch under pressure was poor, and the visitors built from an excellent line-out position.

They secured the ball, then kept it alive from left wing to right, with Taufa'ao Filise and Maama Molitika battering a route for replacement Davies to power his way over. Halfpenny converted from close to the touchline to help the Blues toward the last eight.