Cardiff Blues 36 Wasps 20: Blair the figurehead of new Cardiff

Full-back sparkles in a minor classic which hints that heartache years may be nearing an end

Cardiff, who had been under-achieving for so long it was part of the club culture, may finally be worthy of capital status. Nobody is quite sure of the pedigree of the infant Anglo-Welsh tournament, the EDF Energy Cup, but these clubs at least managed to produce a minor classic here yesterday.

Wasps, who won the trophy last season, their only notable success of a disappointing year, are already in danger of relinquishing it but, weakened pack or not, they gave everything to the cause. It is what makes Cardiff's triumph genuine and deserved, and they can take from it a considerable measure of pride, something that had gone walkabout from the Arms Park.

"The competition gives us a slightly different focus to the Premiership," Ian McGeechan, Wasps' director of rugby, had said, "and provides players on both sides with new experiences." Not just the players; the Scotsman was unhappy about the Welsh referee's inter-pretation of the tackle law and felt that Nigel Owens allowed the home side far too much leeway in playing the ball on the ground.

McGeechan had also talked of pitting his wits against the Cardiff coaching team of Dai Young and the former Wasp Robert Howley, but in the second half the English club - in the corresponding fixture last season they destroyed Cardiff at High Wycombe - were forced into submission. The referee had very little to do with it.

The Blues got home by three goals, four penalties and a drop goal to two goals, a penalty and a drop goal, and the tries were from the top drawer. It was 20-20 shortly after the interval but Cardiff, with the New Zealander Ben Blair in great form at full-back, pulled clear. Had he been addressing an audience Blair would have received a standing ovation. Apart from contributing 18 points through his goal-kicking, he was involved in almost everything, and on any other day would have walked away with the man-of-the-match award. That, however, went to the captain, Martyn Williams, who has not performed with such distinction since Wales won the Grand Slam. Not far behind the flanker was Tom Shanklin. Invalided out of this fixture 12 months ago and returning from long-term rehabilitation, he looked to be back to his best.

Wasps, on the other hand, were handicapped by the early loss of their centre Ayoola Erinle, who had a muscle tear, and their captain, John Hart. James Brooks moved to full-back with Josh Lewsey switching to centre and it worked very well until the England star felt a slight twinge in a hamstring and decided not to risk further damage. Dave Walder's appearance off the bench meant that Wasps had three full-backs operating during the course of the match.

Say what you like about Mr Owens, but he plays the advantage law at every opportunity. Wasps claim that he pushed this philosophy to breaking point in the eighth minute, when Mike Phillips broke down the short side and a touch judge raised his flag. Owens waved play on and the upshot on the other side of the pitch was a try for the prop Gethin Jenkins, who was where a flanker should be to take a pass from Blair.

Fraser Waters pulled off a try-saving tackle on Mark Lewis before Wasps scored two tries in two minutes. Lewsey, showing great athleticism, spun and wriggled out of tackles by Jenkins and Mosese Luveitasau to plant the ball over the line one-handed. If that was impressive, Cardiff hadn't seen anything. From the kick-off, Jeremy Staunton, not far from his own line, produced a stunning break through a sea of blue jerseys and linked with Brooks, who looped outside Paul Sackey for a try in the right-hand corner. Staunton converted both scores from almost the same acute angle and Wasps were up by 14-7. Game on indeed. Before half-time Cardiff regained the lead, Blair kicking a penalty before Williams, with a sidestep off the left touchline, sent Chris Czekaj over for a smart score.

Staunton's drop goal levelled it at 17-17 and the opening shots of the second half were a Nicky Robinson drop goal and a Staunton penalty. That was when McGeechan began to get hot under the collar as Cardiff edged ahead through Blair's boot in a match that had not only been remarkable for the quality of its tries but the absence of penalties.

Appropriately, the decisive score came through another thrilling try. Shanklin and Blair, with two brilliant passes, released Luveitasau down the right, and for once the Fijian held on to the ball. Cardiff introduced their new signing, the Australian Ben White, for the last few minutes and he lasted less than 60 seconds before receiving a card. A yellow for White on a red-letter day for the Blues.

Cardiff Blues: B Blair; C Czekaj, T Riley (N Macleod, 51), T Shanklin, M Luveitasau; N Robinson, M Phillips (E Fairhurst, 75); G Jenkins, R Thomas (D Goodfield, 80), T Filise (G Powell, 68), D Jones, R Sidoli (J Goode, 75), S Morgan (B White, 78), M Lewis, M Williams (capt).

Wasps: J Lewsey (D Walder, 51); P Sackey, A Erinle (J Brooks, 8), F Waters, T Voyce; J Staunton, E Reddan (S Amor, 77); A McKenzie (T Payne, 62), J Ward (R Ibañez, 40), P Bracken, M Purdy (G Skivington, 73), R Birkett, D Leo, J Hart (capt; J Haskell, 11), T Rees.

Referee: N Owens (Wales).