Jenks Is Back And Raring To Go

CARDIFF 27, CAERPHILLY 16
“It’s just nice to be back” – that was the verdict from Welsh rugby’s world record breaking points scorer Neil Jenkins as he finally put nine months of knee injury misery behind him and returned to action for Cardiff.
It was more than a year since the 30-year-old Jenkins had worn the blue and black jersey and his last game was on the Lions tour to Australia in the summer of 2001.
But no sooner had he replaced Anthony Sullivan after 63 minutes – he slotted in at outside half, Nicky Robinson went to full back and Owain Ashman moved to the wing – than he looked very much at home.
“I was jsut glad to get onto the pitch. I hope I can make an impact before the end of the season,” said Jenkins.
“I’m certainly looking forward to my next game. It has been a long nine months, but the knee is fine and I feel really good.”
Title chasing Cardiff found themselves 9-6 adrift at half-time after a dismal oopening 40 minutes at the Arms Park.
Three penalites from Luke Richards topped two from Robinson to give bottom of the table Caerphilly something to smile about, but Cardiff got their act together after the break.
Cardiff’s cause was helped considerably when Caerphilly suffered their second sin-binning early in the second half. Tongan international Sione Tuipulotu was sent to the sidelines for a late charge on Sullivan in teh first-half ansd then Cardiff old boy Damien Geraghty was given a 10 minute break for killing the ball in the second half.
By the time Geraghty returned he had seen the score move from 9-6 in his side’s favour to 27-9 to Cardiff.
Robinson jinked over for a try and wing Andrew Henry crossed for two. Robinson converted all three.
Caerphilly responded with a try by scrum half Andrew Jacobs, which Richards converted, but by then the game was won.
The only sting in the tail for Cardiff was an injury to Welsh scrum half Rob Hoqwley, who left the field on a stretcher with suspected knee ligament damage six minutes after he had been reunited with his old pal Jenkins.
SCORERS
Cardiff: Tries: A Henry 2, N Robinson; Cons: N Robinson 3; Pens: N Robinson 3. Caerphilly: Try: A Jacobs; Con: L Richards; Pens: L Richards.