• Cardiff Blues 31-30 Gloucester
This was already a decent sporting week for Cardiff even before Gareth Anscombe lined up the angled 79th-minute penalty which ultimately yielded only the second Welsh triumph in the 22-year history of the European Challenge Cup. With their footballers promoted to the Premier League and their rugby players victorious on a breathless Basque evening, the city’s long-suffering sports fans have not had it so good in years.
Even by Gloucester’s customary standards, however, this was a head-clutching outcome. Not many sides could lead a European final 20-6 at half-time and still blow it but, then again, few can match the Cherry and Whites for maddening inconsistency. As Anscombe stood over his all-important penalty, there was never any sense he was about to miss the target.
Written by Robert Kitson at San Mamés Stadium
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/may/11/cardiff-blues-gloucester-european-challenge-cup-final-match-report under the title “European Challenge Cup: Anscombe boots Cardiff Blues to last-gasp victory”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
