By David Parsons
Taulupe Faletau made a winning return to rugby as he managed 52 minutes in only his second appearance for Cardiff this year in the 26-10 bonus-point win over the Cheetahs in the Challenge Cup at the Arms Park.
The second coming of 2024 for the 104-times capped Wales No 8 was a much happier experience than his first against Ulster in April.
On that occasion he returned after 196 days on the sidelines due to a broken arm suffered against Georgia at the 2023 World Cup.
But he only lasted half-an-hour at the Kingspan Stadium after breaking his shoulder. A calf problem followed and he had to wait another 240 days to get his kit back on for real.
This time Faletau lasted 52 minutes, but with no ill effects – a comeback that will raise hopes he could be pressed back into action for Wales in the forthcoming Six Nations.
Three second-half tries help Cardiff Rugby to a bonus-point win over the Cheetahs in the Challenge Cup #BBCRugby #ScrumV pic.twitter.com/G5QQHJQ8Bq
— BBC ScrumV (@BBCScrumV) December 14, 2024
A difficult first half in which the Cheetahs largely dominated saw Cardiff trail 10-5.
Some wise words at half-time obviously hit home because Cardiff started the second half with a bang and scored 21 points without reply.
“Job done pretty much sums it up and we have been saying that a fair bit over the last three or four weeks,” said Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt.
“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.”
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@Faletau returns
©️ Belcher also back
1⃣ Senior debut for Tom Bowen️ https://t.co/2ldQ1QkbKm#YmlaenCaerdydd ⚫️ pic.twitter.com/uTeSB9iPSt
— Cardiff Rugby (@Cardiff_Rugby) December 13, 2024
The win lifted Cardiff into second place in Pool One and they now face a trip to Perpignan in January before hosting Connacht to complete their pool assignments.
Josh Adams sped over for two tries and picked up the man of the match award, while 19-year-old Tom Bowen marked his Cardiff debut with a try in the stirring second half fightback.
Cardiff’s other try was a penalty try and Callum Sheedy slotted two conversions.
Taulupe Faletau In Injury Scare Ahead Of World Cup As He Misses Training Camp