Cardiff went to the top of the Super Rygbi Cymru table with a highly impressive, powerful and slick win over the shell-shocked Drovers, writes Huw S Thomas.

In so doing, the Blue and Blacks leapfrogged Ebbw Vale, who were not in action over the weekend, and on this display must be favourites to win the SRC title.

Llandovery slip to third place, their hopes of finishing top of the table dented by a defeat the severity of which few had seen coming. It brought an abrupt end to a winning streak that started back in October.

Cardiff and Llandovery both have four SRC league games left but – importantly – Ebbw Vale have five games still to play.

It all points to a very tense end to the regular season with Llandovery’s chances of a top two finish in the balance, before the play-offs start on April 26.

It was their most hesitant performance of the season and this, allied to Cardiff’s very best, explained the decisive gulf of 33 points between the sides.

Shaky at the line-out, outmuscled in the loose and done for pace behind the scrum, the Drovers suffered the rare experience of conceding more than 50 points on their home ground.

Despite the heroic efforts of stand-in lock Osian Davies, they badly missed injured No 8 Joe Powell, lock Ed Scragg and hooker Taylor Davies - but even this fine trio would have struggled to contain the rampant visitors.

“Second best” in all areas was coach Euros Evans’s precise and frank evaluation of the game, and the side will have to show vast improvement in all areas if they are to beat Aberavon on Friday night in an effort to reach the SRC Cup final.

Even with three yellow cards for prop Tom Harper, flanker Nathan Hudd and full back Matty Young, Cardiff were in complete control from as early as the second minute when a slashing counter attack worked in wing Dewi Cross.

Unable to hold on to possession, losing line-out ball and turned over in the contact area, where No 8 Lucas de la Rua, flanker Gwilym Bradley and lock Mackenzie Martin ruled the roost, the Drovers shipped more tries to Young, Cross again and centre Osian Darwin-Lewis.

With fly-half Josh Thomas adding two conversions and two penalties, it was 30-5 at the break, Llandovery’s only riposte from wing Harri Doel.

Skipper and scrum-half Lee Rees made a couple of breaks but support was sluggish and Cardiff cover very quick to backtrack, and the game was dead and buried by the interval.

Centre Adam Warren’s converted try at the end of Llandovery’s best move of the day lifted the gloom temporarily before the Blue and Blacks cut loose with fast and open rugby at its best.

With replacement prop Dino Dallavalle in the sin bin, Cardiff raced clear with tries from Darwin-Lewis, wing Joe Goodchild and replacement scrum-half Joe Williams plus a couple of conversions and penalty from Thomas to make it 52-12.

Llandovery were nothing but brave in the face of an onslaught rarely seen at Church Bank, and their best player - full back Jac Davies - grabbed a late try but the Cardiff defence was too mean to let the Drovers get a consolation bonus point.

That said, this was a terrific performance from a Cardiff side, full of Blues professional and Academy players whose pace and tempo to the game were a little too much for the Drovers.

Llandovery now travel to Aberavon on Friday night for a Pool A SRC Cup game, knowing full well that only a win with bonus points will give them home advantage against the winners of Pool B - Ebbw Vale or Newport - in the final on March 20.

Llandovery

Tries: H Doel, Adam Warren, J Davies

Cons: I Hughes, J Maynard

Cardiff

Tries: D Cross (2), C Darwin-Lewis (2), M Young, J Goodchild, J Williams

Cons: J Thomas (4)

Pens: J Thomas (3)

Llandovery: J Davies; K Abraham, Adam Warren, R Jones, H Doel; I Hughes, L Rees (capt); J Hughes, G Williams, G Hawley, O Davies, M Jones, E Sheldon, N Hart, S Worrall

Replacements: F Thomas, D Dallavalle, B Watkins, L Ellis-Jones, J Evans, L Morgan, J Maynard, G MacDonald

Cardiff: M Young; J Goodchild, O Darwin-Lewis, J Harries. S Cross; J Thomas, E Lloyd; J Cowell, A Rees, T Harper, M Martin, C Hudd (capt), G Bradley, L de la Rua, N Hudd

Replacements: G Parry, C Tyler-Grocott, C Brooke, S Moore, A Ward, J Williams, F Jones, K Stone