Edinburgh Vs Scarlets ends in late Paterson winner as Cardiff halt Leinster’s run
edinburgh vs scarlets produced a dramatic turnaround at the Hive Stadium, with Harry Paterson scoring a late winner to give Edinburgh a bonus-point victory, while Cardiff climbed to third after a narrow, rain-soaked win over Leinster at the Arms Park.
Cardiff cling on at the Arms Park to climb to third
Cardiff moved up to third in the URC after a narrow victory at the Arms Park, a match played in torrential conditions where Aled Davies scored Cardiff's only try and Callum Sheedy added a penalty. The home side held out as Luke McGrath crossed moments after Jacob Beetham was shown a yellow card; that McGrath try earned a losing bonus that kept the visitors second. Robbie Henshaw returned from injury in the contest, but Leinster's 11-game winning run in all competitions came to an end at the Arms Park.
Edinburgh Vs Scarlets: Paterson seals winner after Scarlets led 14-0
The Hive Stadium fixture saw the Welsh visitors race into a 14-point lead early, with first-half tries from Joe Roberts and Sam Lousi, and the visitors led 14-7 at half-time. Edinburgh fought back in the second half: Ben Vallacott scored twice either side of a Marcus Bradbury try, and Joe Roberts' second try earned Scarlets a losing bonus before Harry Paterson finished the comeback with the winning score that lifted Edinburgh to 11th in the table.
Milestones and returns that shaped the weekend
Edinburgh marked a milestone as prop Boan Venter made his 100th appearance for the club, while Mosese Tuipulotu returned from a nine-month injury absence to feature in the victory. At the Arms Park, the match saw Robbie Henshaw back from injury for Leinster, even as Cardiff secured the narrow win that changed the standings.
Van Zyl credits fresh energy and returns ahead of the Leinster test (7pm KO)
Corniel van Zyl said his side used the recent break to recharge ahead of the major challenge against Leinster at the Arms Park, with a 7pm kick-off noted in build-up remarks. Van Zyl noted it had been nearly a month since Cardiff last entered the field against Ulster and that the pause followed a demanding run of 10 matches across the winter months; the squad had been three weeks back in training. With the Six Nations on hold across the weekend, Cardiff were able to welcome back captain Liam Belcher, Ben Thomas and Mason Grady and to draft promising Wales U20 players into senior sessions ahead of Friday’s encounter, moves van Zyl called a big boost.
Van Zyl on Leinster and squad development
Van Zyl highlighted Leinster’s 11-game unbeaten run and praised their overall game, saying they get energy from defence, attack well, compete strongly at the breakdown, manage the middle of the field, attack when it’s on and keep territory when it’s not, adding that they kick well. He stressed Cardiff must concentrate on their own game, start well and put pressure on Leinster when opportunities come, calling back to the same fixture last year when his side were under a lot of pressure. Van Zyl also singled out Taine “Bash” Basham—who joined from Dragons in the summer—as explosive and fast with the ball, and aggressive and strong at the breakdown, a player who brings personality and competitiveness to the group.
Fragments and unclear items in build-up
Van Zyl pinpointed Cardiff's discipline as the key ingredient as his side brought an unspecified element to their preparation; the remark is unclear in the provided context. Other trailing items in the build-up include a fragment that Cardiff moved up to third in the URC as they beat the reigning league (unclear in the provided context) and a note that Aled Davies had opened up about his father's illness in a bid (unclear in the provided context).
Join us again tomorrow for another day of URC action, with Friday’s scheduled encounters and the weekend slate to follow.
