Edinburgh turn it on in second half to end Cardiff’s three-game winning run

Cardiff’s impressive league run came to an abrupt halt as Edinburgh secured a deserved victory at the Arms Park.

After three consecutive victories, the hosts looked set for a fourth when they led 17-15 but a strong performance from the Edinburgh took the game away from them in the final quarter.

Edinburgh’s tries came from Ben Muncaster, Luke Crosbie and Patrick Harrison with Emiliano Boffelli adding two penalties and two conversions.

Thomas Young scored a try for Cardiff. There was also a penalty try award with Jarrod Evans kicking a penalty and a conversion.

Edinburgh took an early lead with a simple penalty from Boffelli and that advantage was soon extended when the full-back’s break put the defence on the back foot to create an overlap try for Muncaster.

Cardiff needed a quick response and looked to have got one when Rhys Carre finished off a succession of forward drives to crash over but TMO replays showed the prop making a double movement.

The Scots suffered an injury blow when hooker Adam McBurney left the field before quickly receiving another setback when Young powered over from close range.

Sin-bin

Evans converted before Edinburgh scored their second try when a neat off-load from Chris Dean created the scoring opportunity for Crosbie.

Evans succeeded with a penalty before the home side took the lead for the first time.

Edinburgh had no answers to Cardiff’s driving line-outs and from one the Scots were marched backwards at a rate of knots before the maul was collapsed. Visitors’ fly-half, Charlie Savala, was yellow carded and a penalty try awarded to Cardiff for them to lead 17-15 at the interval.

Eight minutes after the restart, Savala returned from the sin-bin without any damage done to the scoreboard and in time to see Boffelli put his side back in front with his second penalty.

Edinburgh then scored their third try, again from a forward, with replacement, Harrison, finishing off a driving line-out.

Boffelli’s conversion made it a two-score game going into the final quarter and Cardiff never looked like clawing back the deficit.