Jamin Hodgkins and his Cardiff Met teammates took on Glamorgan in the Championship Cup at home and went down 25 - 10.
On a cloudy but bright afternoon, both sides settled into their play but clear-cut chances were few and far between as the defenses clearly dominated and execution in the attack was tentative.
Glamorgan’s scrum started to exert pressure as the front row of Nathan Evans, Dan Watts and Jack James showed glimpses of the dominance that was to prevail later.
As the first quarter ended it was the visitors who looked more assured, moving the ball well in attack with Rhys Beynon making good ground they were held up short. After recycling the Met defense was caught offside and Gruff Tough stepped up to break the deadlock with a Penalty 3 – 0 to Glamorgan.
The home side were stung into action and they hit straight back, Glamorgan failed to deal with the kick-off well and Cardiff Met was straight on the attack. A penalty gave them great field position and they forced their way over for the opening Try of the game, which was Converted to give them the lead 7 - 3.
A stolen lineout set the visitors back on the attack and they started to exert some control over the game. Despite that, the home side edged ahead 10 – 3 after 31 minutes with a Penalty.
The visitors were forced into a change with Tough leaving the field and Amir Saleh moving from fullback to outside half but as the game entered the final minutes of the half the visitors struck twice. Firstly, a lineout drive deep in Met territory went close and after some more close-quarter driving on the blindside Watts popped up to crash over to land Glamorgan’s first Try, Saleh Converted to make it 10 - 10.
Soon afterward on the stroke of halftime, the visitors added a second Try, from another lineout drive Max Wootton went close and when the ball was recycled Josh Male crashed over, Saleh Converted to send the sides into the break with Glamorgan leading 17 - 10.
The second half saw the home side dominate the possession and most of the territory but the visitor's defense was so solid that at no time did they look in danger of giving up the lead.
On a rare occasion into the Met 22, another lineout early in the half allowed Mike Owen to crash over giving the visitors breathing space on the scoreboard at 22 - 10.
Cardiff Met often had penalty chances and free plays but they struggled to find the key that would unlock the visitor's defense, not aided by a scrum which came under more and more pressure as the visitors scrum dictated proceedings.
At one point frustrations and discussions spilled into some slinging, Saleh was forced off for a brief spell as a cut under his eye was attended to, which appeared to see Emyr Jones starting a new career at outside half. Saleh returned to put any danger of a late Met revival to bed as he landed a Penalty to make it 25 - 10.
