Lloyd Williams scored the only try of the first half before the Blues scrum did the damage, earning two penalty tries after the break before Josh Navidi went over for the bonus-point score.
The Blues were already through to the knock-out stages before the game kicked-off, courtesy of Edinburgh’s victory over Bordeaux-Begles, but retained a strong side to ensure avoiding top seeds Gloucester in the next round.
That also allowed them to throw caution to the wind and, despite playing into a snow storm, they were rewarded for their ambition with the game’s opening try on 25 minutes. Skipper Gethin Jenkins turned down the chance of three points and opted to kick for the corner, from where scrum-half Williams spotted a gap in the French lineout and darted through to touch down.
Anscombe converted for a 7-0 lead that was reduced within six minutes when Hart kicked Grenoble’s first points. However, given Cardiff spent the first half playing headlong into the conditions, Hammett will have been the far happier coach at half-time with a 7-3 lead.
A series of drives by the Blues pack ended with Grenoble hooker Loick Jammes being binned for infringing close to his own line. With the extra-man, the Blues made the most of his absence at the scrum until replacement Fabien Alexandre kicked the ball away to concede a penalty try that Anscombe converted on 57 minutes.
The Blues’ greater urgency began to tell as the game wore on. Tavis Knoyle, Matthew Rees and Cuthbert all went close. The pressure told as Alexandre was shown a yellow card for knocking the ball out of Knoyle’s grasp as Cardiff surged forward close to the line.
Again the Blues scrum turned the screw and again Scottish referee David Wilkinson awarded a penalty try as Grenoble’s set-piece disintegrated. Â Just seven minutes later, and with Adam Jones at the helm, the Blues did the same again only this time No8 Navidi was allowed to claim the touch-down and bag a bonus point just before the final whistle.
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