Bowen double helps Cardiff beat Zebre for second straight win

Nation.Cymru staff

Cardiff made it two wins from two in the United Rugby Championship with a 40-27 bonus-point victory over Zebre at the Arms Park.

Tom Bowen scored twice as the hosts built a commanding 40-8 lead before conceding three late tries to give the Italians a bonus point.

Teddy Williams, Javan Sebastian, Taine Basham and Alex Mann crossed before half-time as Cardiff followed up their opening victory over Scarlets in front of 7,231 spectators.

Zebre started brightly, with Tommaso Allan kicking an early penalty after missing his first attempt.

Williams put Cardiff ahead after taking a neat pass from Mann, marking his first competitive home appearance since suffering a serious foot injury a year ago.

Sebastian added a second following a tap penalty, with hooker Dafydd Hughes providing the pass.

Francisco Minervino was driven over to bring Zebre back into contention, but Basham powered across from an attacking scrum to restore Cardiff’s control.

The bonus point arrived in the 36th minute when Mann finished a move featuring a Hughes dummy and a sharp pass from Ben Thomas. Cardiff led 26-8 at the break.

Bowen extended that advantage after collecting Callum Sheedy’s grubber kick early in the second half, then sprinted over again after being released by Johan Mulder.

Cardiff introduced 18-year-old hooker Tom Howe for his senior debut, while fellow hooker Evan Lloyd came on in the back row.

But the hosts lost their grip in the closing stages. Giacomo Ferrari and Giulio Bertaccini crossed before Giacomo Da Re secured Zebre’s fourth try following a break by Giovanni Montemauri.

James Botham took the player-of-the-match award, but Cardiff’s late lapses took some gloss off an otherwise convincing performance.

They face a sterner test next Saturday against defending champions Leinster in Dublin, where another loose final quarter could prove considerably more costly to their winning start.

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