Lomu upstaged as Cardiff cruise on All Black power

Cardiff Blues 43 Calvisano 16

Jonah Lomu makes his home debut for Cardiff Blues

Roy Keane, it is said, takes a 50 per cent pay cut and is on only £40,000 a week in Glasgow. Jonah Lomu, one of the biggest stars the union game has ever seen, makes an extraordinary comeback from a life-threatening illness and is grateful to receive £3,000 a week - provided he plays.

Quite what this tells us goodness only knows, but one thing is sure: Lomu, complete with new kidney, remains a hit at the box office. Yesterday the great wing who, at the height of his powers destroyed England in successive World Cups, made his home debut for Cardiff Blues and, in terms of interest, the little old Arms Park hasn't seen anything like it since the teenage wonder Keith Jarrett was flying down the wing.

Lomu, of course, is a very different phenomenon. You used to worry about the safety of his opponents - now, at such a tender stage of his career, you worry about his. A crowd of nearly 12,000 braved the cold to watch Jonah in Wales and they appreciated every gesture, some of which were more convincing than others.

"We must all remember his best is yet to come," Dai Young, the Cardiff coach, said. "He showed glimpses of how dangerous he can be but we need to be patient to give him a chance to recapture his best form. His focus is to get back to where he was and every game he plays he will improve." He will have to, but after what Lomu has been through and an absence of 28 months it is a minor miracle he's back in professional rugby at all, and a major bonus for Cardiff and the Heineken Cup.

So far so good, but bigger assignments await, notably the home tie against Perpignan in the new year. Cardiff lost in France 37-14 but have done everything else right in Pool Two and have given themselves an excellent chance of reaching the quarter-finals. Yesterday they picked up another bonus point, scoring six tries in all. Their Italian opponents were awkward, fiery and gutsy but in this competition that simply isn't enough.

A big former All Black got two of the tries, but it wasn't Lomu. Xavier Rush, extremely impressive at No 8, scored the first of the match, capitalising on a brilliant flick from Nicky Robinson. Rush appeared on the left wing where Lomu should have been but he had just featured in a crash move down the middle.

Lomu did not see a great deal of the ball and sometimes he didn't have to. Rhys Williams, the Cardiff captain, got his side's second try when he sold a dummy. Calvisano bought it and also added a tip because the player Williams dummied to was Lomu. The defence was hell bent on stopping the New Zealander and the result was akin to the parting of the sea.

Although the result was never in doubt, Calvisano could not be described as pushovers. Scrum-half Paul Griffen, one of their best players, created their first try for Jacobus van Schalkwyk with a break from a scrum that exposed the Cardiff back row and their skipper Maurizio Zaffiri got their second near the end.

In between, Rush scored his second following a brilliant pick- up and they had a long wait before Rhys Williams secured a precious bonus point with his side's fourth try on the hour. After Alessandro Zanni was sent to the sin bin, Craig Quinnell, who had been fortunate not to join him, cashed in by barging over from close range. Another replacement, Robin Sowden-Taylor, helped himself to try number six. Even then, the Italians would not go quietly and remained feisty to the end.

When Lomu was lured to South Wales, many observers scoffed that it was a gimmick and moreover one which was entirely in keeping with the Cardiff character. Since losing to Toulouse in the final of the inaugural Heineken Cup, on their own ground, Cardiff, not to put too fine a point on it, have been a waste of space.

It could be argued that if so many people had not eaten so many pies - the club's benefactor and chairman Peter Thomas made his fortune from savouries - Cardiff would have been up the Taff without a coracle. When Welsh rugby was dragged kicking and screaming into the new age of regional teams rather than clubs, everyone finally accepted the shotgun marriages bar Cardiff and Llanelli who argued that they were big enough to stand alone.

The Scarlets had a point, but the Blues? When the regions were painfully squeezed from five to four the team from the capital city were lucky to survive. Instead it was the Bridgend-based Celtic Warriors who were put to the sword.

Nor did Cardiff make the most of their reprieve. They were anonymous again last season and again they got a lucky break. Having failed to qualify automatically for this season's Heineken Cup they got in through the tradesmen's entrance, beating Italian opposition in a play-off.

Now, at long last, their supporters feel a lot more like singing the Blues. OK, Pool Two is more a group of life rather than death. If you draw an Italian club it is like playing your joker. If you have an Italian and a Yorkshire club you have hit the jackpot. Nevertheless, Cardiff finally look as if they're going to put the silver spoon to their lips instead of flogging it to the pawn shop at the earliest opportunity.

Cardiff Blues: R Williams (capt); C Morgan, J Robinson, M Stcherbina, J Lomu; N Robinson (L Thomas, 70), M Phillips (R Powell, 70); G Jenkins, R Thomas, M Jones (B Evans, 54), D Jones (C Quinnell, 56), R Sidoli, A Powell (R Sowden-Taylor), 75), X Rush, M Williams.

Calvisano: J Van Schalkwyk; L Nitoglia (M Ravazzola, 28), M Pratichetti, H Kruger, A Vodo; P Patelli, P Griffen; S Perugini, G Intoppa, M Castrogiovanni, R Mandelli, J Purll, W Brosnihan, M Zaffiri (capt), A Zanni.

Referee: C Berdos (France).