Cardiff suffered their first defeat of the season, going down 29-5 to Leinster at the Laya Arena in Dublin. It was a spirited performance by the Welsh club against the defending champions.
Backline ratings
Matty Young was rated 5. The 21-year-old was solid under pressure in his first URC start and showed some nice touches. But he found it tough defensively against such a multi-faceted Leinster attack, and there were a couple of forward passes.
Jacob Beetham earned a 6. The 25-year-old was solid under the high ball and after a difficult first half came into his own after the break. Beetham looked dangerous with ball in hand.
Harri Millard was rated 5. The 30-year-old was comfortable enough but didn't make any dents in the Leinster defence. Le Roux Malan scored 6, with the Namibia international competent in defence and making a couple of big carries.
Mason Grady was rated 6. The Wales international made headway when put into space but Cardiff were unable to get him into the game enough. He took his try well.
Half-backs and forwards
Callum Sheedy earned a 6. The 30-year-old was on the back foot for the vast majority of the game but his quick thinking and pinpoint accurate cross-kick resulted in Cardiff's only try. Aled Davies was rated 5. The experienced scrum-half endured a difficult day at the office with Cardiff's pack on the back foot for the majority of the game. Davies also got sent to the sin bin early in the first half for killing the ball.
Taine Basham was the star man with a rating of 8. Basham was drafted into the starting XV following Taulupe Faletau's late withdrawal and delivered an outstanding performance. The 26-year-old finished as joint-highest ball carrier with 15 carries, producing several powerful bursts forward. He also made two clean line breaks and topped Cardiff's tackling charts with 13. On this evidence, Basham has put himself firmly in contention for a place in Steve Tandy's Wales squad for the upcoming Nations Championship.
Dan Thomas was rated 6. The 32-year-old fought hard, making 12 tackles, while he was also a pest at the breakdown. It was tough going against a quality Leinster backrow but he acquitted himself well and made eight carries. Alex Mann also earned a 6. The Wales backrow put in a big shift, making 10 tackles and five carries. There were also some nice touches from the Wales international but the Leinster backrow was extremely physical.
Lock and front row
Teddy Williams was rated 6. The Cardiff pack came second best against a Leinster eight who were rampant at times. But Williams fronted up well, was efficient at the lineout and put in 12 tackles and 13 carries. Josh McNally also earned a 6. The former Bath lock worked hard, putting in 11 tackles while leading from the front throughout.
Javan Sebastian was rated 5. He found it tough going against a powerful Leinster scrum that dominated. He sustained an early injury. Liam Belcher earned a 6. The 30-year-old made eight carries and 11 tackles, while the lineout went reasonably well. Danny Southworth was rated 5. The 27-year-old came under huge pressure at the scrum as Leinster seized the upper hand. But he worked hard around the park making 14 carries.
Replacements
Evan Lloyd was rated 6. The 24-year-old made a decent impact with some strong carries, and he also brought some much-needed energy. Rhys Barratt also earned a 6. Barratt won a scrum penalty and worked hard. Sam Wainwright was rated 5. He found it tough at the scrum. Rory Thornton was not on the field long enough for a rating.
Semisi Paea earned a 6, making a decent impact and winning one turnover. Johan Mulder was rated 7. The South African scrum-half had a good game with his accurate kicking, and he was also a threat with ball in hand. Jarrod Evans was rated 5. The 30-year-old tried his best to unlock the Leinster defence but had no luck. Steffan Emanuel was not on for long enough for a rating.
