Adams double sets up Cardiff win against Cheetahs

Josh Adams missed Wales' summer tour and autumn internationals because of injury

European Challenge Cup:

Cardiff (5) 26

Try: Adams 2, Bowen, penalty try Cons: Sheedy 2

Cheetahs (10) 10

Try: de Haas Cons: Wentzel Pen: Wentzel

A try double from wing Josh Adams helped Cardiff celebrate Taulupe Faletau's return with a European Challenge Cup bonus-point win against South African side Cheetahs in Cardiff.

Teenage wing Tom Bowen also crossed on his Cardiff debut as Cardiff utilised the elements to launch a stirring second-half comeback.

Cheetahs dominated the first half as they led 10-5 at half-time before Cardiff responded with 21 unanswered points.

Cardiff have lifted themselves to second in Pool One and travel to face Perpignan in January before hosting Connacht.

Cheetahs are still searching for their first win in the competition after drawing with Perpignan last weekend.

Faletau returns

Cardiff and Wales number eight Taulupe Faletau (left) was making just his second appearance of 2024

Wales number eight Faletau proved impressive in his 52-minute appearance as he played his first game in eight months after suffering a broken shoulder against Ulster in April before later picking up a calf problem.

Faletau was one of 11 changes from Cardiff's opening weekend Challenge Cup defeat in Lyon where Matt Sherratt's side picked up a losing bonus point.

Captain and hooker Liam Belcher returned from a three-month absence, while 18-year-old academy graduate Bowen made his debut.

Faletau started with a storming break from a scrum on his own line and also made an important tackle to help thwart a Cheetahs attack.

Bowen provided the catalyst for the opening try with a surging run down the left hand side before the ball was moved with Adams slicing through for the opening score firmly against the run of play.

Cheetahs might have been disrupted by losing centre Ali Mgijima and flankers Oupa Mohoje and Gideon van der Merwe to injury in the opening 20 minutes but they continued to dominate territory and possession.

The pressure eventually told with a fine move down the left-hand side finished by de Haas.

Wentzel converted and slotted over a long-range penalty to give Cheetahs a five-point half-time lead in a 40 minutes where Cardiff made just under 100 tackles.

Cardiff come good

With the wind at their backs, Cardiff captain Belcher made a storming break in the second half to set the platform for Bowen to score.

Faletau was one of three Wales players to be replaced with James Botham and Ben Thomas also making way but it made little difference.

Cardiff turned down an easy kick at goal to go for an attacking line-out which they lost before replacement flanker Alex Mann provided the burst that released Adams for his second score.

The Cardiff driving line-out started to function with Cheetahs replacement prop Rob Hunt shown a yellow card as the visitors conceded a penalty try and Cardiff secured the bonus-point score.

Adams gave Cardiff and Wales fans a late scare with some treatment but he stayed on the field until the final whistle.

Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt: "Job done pretty much sums it up and we have been saying that a fair bit over the last three or four weeks.

"We made 11 changes and they are a good side as well, very physical and strong at the breakdown.

"It was a very strange first half where the territory stats were 90% in their favour and we could not exit out of that wind.

"It was probably going to take around 60 minutes until we broke them down. It was about getting the five match points tonight."

Cardiff: Winnett; Adams, Lee-Lo, B Thomas, Bowen; Sheedy, A Davies; Domachowski, Belcher (capt), Davies-King, McNally, T Williams, Botham, D Thomas, Faletau,

Replacements: Hughes, Southworth, Assiratti, S Davies, Mann, Lawrence, Mulder, Jennings.

Cheetahs: Annies; Hartzenberg, Coetzee, Mgijima, Jasper; Wentzel, de Haas; Ferreira, L van der Westhuizen, Coetzee, Wegner, Sekekete (capt), G van der Merwe, Mohoje, Rudolph.

Replacements: Paulo, van Wyk, Hunt, Uys, Olivier, Maartens, Kruger, Lourens.

Sin-bin: Hunt 68

Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)

Assistant referees: Andrew Cole & Sam Holt (IRFU)

TMO: Leo Colgan (IRFU)