Cardiff came out on top in Parma, beating Zebre Parma 29–14 in the sixth round of the URC. The first half was firmly in Welsh hands, while the Gialloblù pushed hard after the break in an attempt to close the gap, but couldn’t complete the comeback. In the closing minutes, Cardiff pulled away and sealed the bonus point with their fourth try.
Zebre’s starting XV featured: Pani; Belloni, Bertaccini, Zanon, Gesi; Roger Farias, Fusco; Licata (C), Locatelli, Ruggeri; Krumov (VC), Ortombina; Nocera, Di Bartolomeo, Hasa. Replacements: Ribaldi, Buonfiglio, Pitinari, Ferrari, Odiase, Prinsloo, Da Re, Mazza.
Prop Momo Hasa marked his 50th official cap for Zebre, celebrated with a solo entrance onto the pitch.
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MATCH REPORT
**First Half**
Cardiff started aggressively, but Zebre held strong in defence and managed early possession. An early long-range penalty attempt from Farias drifted left of the posts.
In the 8th minute, Cardiff turned down a shot at goal after an offside penalty and opted for the corner. Multiple Zebre infringements inside five metres gave the Welsh repeated chances, and although the resulting maul ended in a knock-on, pressure remained. A last-ditch tackle by Belloni saved a likely try, but Cardiff kept going back to the corner.
At 13 minutes, Hughes finished off a well-set maul for the opening try, though Lloyd missed the conversion.
Another penalty against Zebre at 16 minutes resulted in a yellow card for captain Licata for slowing down play. Cardiff immediately capitalised: Hughes powered over again on 19 minutes, and Lloyd added the extras.
Despite being a man down, Zebre defended bravely. Pitinari left the field after a head knock, with Nocera coming on.
At 29 minutes, Zebre kicked a penalty to the corner, set up a powerful maul and Licata dived over. Roger Farias converted superbly from the touchline to bring the score to 7–12.
Just before the break, consecutive penalties gave Cardiff field position. From a clean lineout, Hughes completed his hat-trick at 40 minutes, with Lloyd converting for a 7–19 halftime lead.
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**Second Half**
Zebre replaced Belloni with Da Re at halftime. Cardiff continued to dominate aerial contests. Another Zebre infringement on 48 minutes allowed Lloyd to add three points (7–22).
TMO alerted the referee to a late off-ball hit on Hughes, resulting in a yellow card—potentially upgradeable to red—for Ruggeri.
A huge defensive play from Gesi five metres out prevented another Cardiff try, dragging Grady into touch.
Zebre then built promising pressure: Farias played a quick tap, they earned successive penalties, and worked to within five metres—but two handling errors, including a knock-on by Fusco, stalled momentum.
Cardiff stole a ball inside their own five metres and cleared. At 69 minutes, Basham saw yellow for repeated infringements.
Zanon crossed at 73 minutes after a powerful run from Odiase, who broke two tackles. Farias converted to make it 14–22.
Cardiff chased the bonus point and went to the corner at 77 minutes. After extended pressure, the referee—following another TMO review—sent Zanon to the bin for a deliberate knock-on.
At 80 minutes, Basham crashed over for the fourth and final try, converted by Wilde, sealing the bonus-point victory at 14–29.
Player of the Match: **Dafydd Hughes**.
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**FULL TIME**
**ZEBRE PARMA 14 – CARDIFF 29**
Lanfranchi Stadium, Parma – Saturday 29 November 2025, KO 14:00
**Scorers:**
13’ Hughes (0–5), 19’ Hughes + Lloyd (0–12), 31’ Licata + Farias (7–12),
40’ Hughes + Lloyd (7–19), 49’ Lloyd pen. (7–22), 74’ Zanon + Farias (14–22),
80’ Basham + Wilde (14–29)
### **ZEBRE PARMA**
15 Pani (55' Mazza)
14 Belloni (41' Da Re)
13 Bertaccini
12 Zanon
11 Gesi
10 Roger Farias
9 Fusco
8 Licata (C) (52' Odiase)
7 Locatelli
6 Ruggeri (60' Ferrari)
5 Krumov (VC)
4 Ortombina
3 Pitinari (28' Nocera)
2 Di Bartolomeo (67' Ribaldi)
1 Hasa (67' Buonfiglio)
Replacements: Ribaldi, Buonfiglio, Nocera, Ferrari, Odiase, Prinsloo, Da Re, Mazza
Head Coach: **Massimo Brunello**
### **CARDIFF**
15 Winnet
14 Grady
13 Millard (65’ Smit) (69’ Millard)
12 S. Emanuel
11 Bowen
10 Lloyd
9 Davies (75’ Bevan)
8 Lawrence
7 Thomas (65’ Basham)
6 Donnel (26’ Botham)
5 Nott
4 McNally (C)
3 Sebastian (65’ Wainwright)
2 Hughes (79’ Pearce)
1 Barratt (70’ Emanuel)
Replacements: Pearce, I. Emanuel, Wainwright, Botham, Basham, Bevan, Wilde, Smit
Head Coach: **Corniel van Zyl**
**Referee:** Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
**Cards:** 16’ Licata (Zebre), 49’ Ruggeri (Zebre), 69’ Basham (Cardiff), 80’ Zanon (Zebre)
**Goal-kickers:** Farias 2/3, Lloyd 2/3, Wilde 1/1
**Note:** 50th cap for **Momo Hasa**.