Cardiff, coached by Tristan Davies, fielded a young team that contrasted starkly with the Blues' internationally ladened side. And their endeavours in a bright first half helped to produced a competitive match at this stage of the season.

The Blues used the occasion to run through training ground routines and had the lion's share of possession in the first half.

Big ball-carrying Xavier Rush led the charge, and the regional side opted to take every penalty opportunity to set up platforms for catch-and-drive line-outs. A tactic that lead to three tries.

But the early moments of the match belonged to the Blue and Blacks as they opened the scoring after just two minutes. An attack of several phases was rewarded with a penalty that Craig Evans easily goaled from 20-metres.

The Blues reasserted territorial domination but their ball retention was poor and from another spilled pass in the Blue & Blacks’ 22, new fullback Roger Davies seized on the loose ball to kick and chase all the way to the distant Blues line for a popular try. Leigh Halfpenny’s attempted conversion from wide out rebounded off an upright but 8-0 was still a satisfactory start.

The Blues responded with a try for fly half David Flanagan to show and go past a flat-footed defence for the sweetest of tries under the posts after a quickly taken line-out. Ben Blair converted but was less successful three minutes later when from yet another catch-and-drive on the left the ball was worked to the right and Jamie Roberts squeezed in at the far corner.

On half an hour, the familiar scenario was played out again: another line-out in the left corner; another drive into midfield; and this time Bradley Davies, an early graduate from club to regional rugby, powered over near the posts for Blair to add the extras. Now it was 19-8 to the Blues.

New Blues’ lock Paul Tito was yellow-carded for killing the ball in the 36th minute before an uncharacteristic slip in the Cardiff defence allowed another former Blue & Black, Tom James, to score the Blues’ fourth try of the half.

The Blues brought on an entirely new pack and half-backs after the interval but was again Cardiff who struck first.

Sloppy passing by the Blues was punished by fleet-footed wing Ryan Howells, who intercepted and raced 80 metres for a try that brought the biggest cheer of the evening from Cardiff's supporters. Craig Evans’s conversion took his club points tally in 12 months to 299, and the score to 15-24.

Eventually, Blues power in the contact situations paid off with tries by centres Tal Selley and Dafydd Hewitt, with Blair converting the first. But the Blue & Blacks never threw in the towel and deserved the appreciative reception they received at the final whistle.