Cardiff through to semi-finals

Cardiff Blues reached the semi-finals of the EDF Energy Cup but neither they nor Bath, who they beat 24-18, could really believe it.

Bath controlled most of the game but were kept at bay by tremendous defence, while the Blues' ability to grab points on each of their rare trips into the English club's half proved decisive in a nail-biting encounter.

Maama Molitika and Taufa'ao Filise went over for Blues with Ben Blair kicking the rest of their points while Andrew Higgins and a penalty try gave Bath their scores plus kicks from Jack Cuthbert, Joe Maddock and Shaun Berne.

Unforced errors by the Blues, notably when Jason Spice and Blair left a kick to each other, ended with Bath taking the lead through a penalty from giant full-back Cuthbert.

But the home side hit back immediately, fly-half Nicky Robinson feeding an inside pass to brother Jamie for the centre to shrug off a tackle and send flanker Molitika under the posts for Blair to convert.

Offences by the Bath front row gave Blair the opportunity to kick two penalties from virtually the same spot 40 yards out, but from then until the interval it was backs to the wall for the Blues.

Bath soon restored their first-half supremacy after the break and that pressure saw Wales squad man Tom Shanklin sent to the sin-bin while wing Maddock slotted over the penalty. However, a penalty conceded from the restart enabled Blair to restore the gap.

Maddock then cut through to be halted just short by a high tackle from Spice. Referee Nigel Owens immediately awarded a penalty try, but Maddock incredibly missed the easy conversion.

A clearance kick by Bath fly-half Berne was then charged down by Deiniol Jones, and from the resulting five-yard scrum prop Filise forced his way over.

Bath stormed back once more with a gallop by Samoan replacement Jonny Faamatuainu, breaking through tackles, ending with Higgins sprinting in for a try which Berne converted. But that was it for Bath, with Blair having the final word with an injury-time penalty after visiting replacement Stuart Hooper was given a yellow card.