Ben Blair’s late goal shot for the Blues levelled the scores at the Arms Park to bring a dramatic end to a titanic opening match.
Leinster new signing Isa Nacewa looked to be the visitors’ match-winner on his debut with a breakaway try on 68 minutes.
Wales centre pair Tom Shanklin and Jamie Roberts impressed against Brian O’Driscoll and Felipe Contepomi in midfield but for all the Blues pressure they could not finish off the champions.
Contepomi registered Leinster’s first points of the season with a routine penalty on ten minutes after Blues number eight Andy Powell was adjusted to kill the ball on the floor.
But the Blues hit back a minute later and could have scored the first try of the match had referee Andy Macpherson not intervened for an earlier penalty.
The hosts had several numbers out wide and Martyn Williams’ try-scoring pass to Richard Mustoe was deliberately intercepted by Nacewa.
Blair missed his first penalty attempt on 18 minutes but the Kiwi made amends six minutes later with the first try of the match.
Leinster were under relentless pressure and after drives by Andy Powell and Maama Molitka, scrum-half Jason Spice’s long pass found Blair in space to touch down with ease in the right corner.
Blair showed ultra confidence to boot home the conversion from the right hand touchline to give the Blues a 7-3 lead.
The Blues were dominant in both possession and territory and got their just rewards on the stroke of half time when Nicky Robinson, celebrating his 100th game for the Blues, clipped a drop goal through the posts to extend the home side’s advantage at the break.
Blair wasted a glorious opportunity to put Leinster further adrift on 45 minutes but he spurned another penalty chance. And his miss proved costly as Contepomi reduced the deficit to four points with his second penalty from halfway.
Robinson added his second drop goal on 57 minutes but Contepomi kept Leinster interested with a third successful penalty. Then the visitors pounced when Mustoe dropped a high ball and Nacewa latched onto Malcolm O’Kelly’s pass to give the visitors the lead for the first time in the match. But Blair grabbed the Blues a draw with a 71st minute penalty from distance.
Cardiff Blues: Ben Blair (Jamie Robinson 39); Richard Mustoe, Tom Shanklin, Jamie Roberts, Chris Czekaj; Nicky Robinson, Jason Spice (Darren Allinson 62); Gethin Jenkins, Gareth Williams (Rhys Thomas 58), Taufa’ao Filise (Gary Powell 58), Bradley Davies, Paul Tito (capt – Scott Morgan 74), Mamma Molitika, Andy Powell, Martyn Williams.
Scorers: Try: B Blair; Con: B Blair; Pen: B Blair; DGs: N Robinson 2
Leinster: Isa Nacewa; Shane Horgan (Luke Fitzgerald 62), Brian O’Driscoll, Felipe Contepomi, Rob Kearney; Jonathan Sexton (Girvan Dempsey 46), Chris Whitaker (capt); Cian Healy (Sean O’Brien 79), Bernard Jackman (John Fogarty 79), Ronan McCormack (Stephen Knoop 51), Devin Toner, Malcolm O’Kelly, Cameron Jowitt, Shane Jennings, Jamie Heaslip.
Scorers: Try: I Nacewa; Con: F Contepomi; Pens: F Contepomi 3
Referee: Andy Macpherson (SRU)
Attendance: 8,619
