Blues left grounded in Dublin

Feb 18 2008 South Wales Echo

Leinster 24-17 Blues

CARDIFF Blues’ miserable weekend was completed when they were left stranded at Dublin Airport on Saturday night.

To add insult to their Leinster defeat, their flight home was aborted at the last minute.

And as they were hastily forced to stay overnight in a hotel, they would have been mulling over the fact they might also have missed the boat for Magners League honours as they somehow contrived to lose their Celtic clash with leaders Leinster at the RDS ground.

The Blues threw away a 14-point lead as 14 points from the boot of Argentinean outside-half Felipe Contepomi and a late try from Irish full-back Luke Fitzgerald completed a league double over the Arms Park outfit and put a major dent into the hopes of one of their main title rivals.

While the Blues have buried their European bogey by achieving Heineken Cup quarter-final qualification for the first time as a region with a last eight tie against Toulouse in April, the Magners League still realistically represents their best chance of ending the seven-year trophy drought at the Arms Park.

After they were pipped for the title last year by the Ospreys many observers thought this could be their season.

But after setting the pace in the Celtic competition during the opening months of the campaign, the Blues charge has faltered with three successive league defeats to the Ospreys, Edinburgh and now Leinster.

The latest setback in Dublin has left them in fourth place and eight points adrift of the Irish province, who are now firmly in pole position with a six-point lead over Llanelli Scarlets.

The Blues only have seven games left to attempt to turn things around and they realistically have to win up to six of those matches and hope other results go their way.

They could still achieve this but it will be a tall order starting with the St David's Day clash at the Arms Park, against third-placed Munster, who are also title contenders.

After this the Blues have four away trips to Llanelli Scarlets, Edinburgh, Ulster and Connacht, with home ties against the Scarlets and the Ulstermen in between.

Even if they can pick up a half a dozen victories they will still have rely on other results and hope Leinster trip up on their run-in as they have in recent seasons.

But it could have been all so different if the Blues could only have held on to victory in the Irish capital, which would have left them only a point adrift.

And this looked the likely scenario after the opening 11 minutes as the visitors raced into a 14-0 lead.

With both sides missing their respective international contingent, Dai Young's men started the game looking like real championship contenders with clinical composed rugby producing two excellent tries for Tongan flanker Maama Molitika and outside-half Nick Macleod.

But that control disappeared in the second-half as Leinster dragged themselves back into the game.

The warning signs were evident towards the end of the first period when Leinster responded with a try from centre Michael Berne and a penalty and conversion from Contepomi, although Ben Blair responded to give the visitors a 17-10 interval lead.

But Contepomi and Leinster chipped away at the Blues lead as the home side exerted a dominance over their Welsh rivals, typified by the 53rd minute sin-binning of Molitika for persistent infringement.

Three penalties from the deadly boot of Contepomi handed Leinster the lead for the first-time in the 68th minute.

The Blues still had opportunities to win the game but they were left to rue a late missed Blair penalty and scuffed drop-goal attempt from Macleod which would have restored their lead.

The composed and clinical qualities they displayed in the first quarter dramatically eluded them in the final 20 minutes.

The Blues were indisciplined, failed to protect the ball at the breakdown, spurned overlaps and were guilty of handling errors as they needlessly looked for what Young called after the ‘miracle off-load,’ with Gareth Thomas and Jamie Robinson the most guilty parties.

These failures were compounded when Fitzgerald sealed the game with a clever chip and chase.

Contepomi's missed conversion from the touchline at least ensured the Blues would come away with a losing bonus point. But that was scant consolation for a game they should have won.

Young stated after that it was the Blues who had lost the game rather than Leinster winning it and his side who were the better team.

But all the record books will show is a Blues defeat and one that could contribute to consigning them to another season without silverware.

gareth.griffiths@mediawales.co.uk