They annihilated a strong-looking Glasgow outfit with a display of fast flowing rugby with the emphasis on using space and keeping the

They annihilated a strong-looking Glasgow outfit with a display of fast, flowing rugby with the emphasis on using space and keeping the ball in hand. The one negative was a nasty ankle injury to the full-back Cardey, but only after he had claimed a brace of tries.The major talking point of the afternoon was not the encounter and its outcome, but whether Moon would replace Robert Howley and claim the Wales No 9 shirt One thing appears certain. Howley will not be on the field next Saturday, maybe due to injury or his recent lack of form, or his apparent lack of commitment to the cause, in the wake of his losing the captaincy.Graham Henry is surely tempted to look to Moon, not a great technician, and not the most talented either, but he does exude enthusiasm and is a great fighter. It was his never-say-die attitude that held Llanelli together three years ago, when they experienced huge financial difficulties, and were close to disappearing into the ethereal mayhem caused by professional rugby.Moon's return will be heralded by many with some disdain, but with Neil Jenkins certain to be another casualty, along with the doubt surrounding the fitness of the captain, David Young, the spine of Wales seems rather too brittle for comfort.

Moon could well instil some much needed spark into a sterile and lacklustre Welsh team.Moon and the fly-half, Stephen Jones, also seeking a Wales call-up, combined smoothly at half-back although Jones's goal kicking is rather short of Jenkins' expertise in this department.Llanelli dominated the opening minutes but over-complicated passing patterns yielded nothing but confusion. Back then to basics for the normally clinical Scarlets, and back-rowers Simon Easterby and Ian Boobyer created the opportunity for Cardey to score in the corner. Dafydd James followed up with a carbon copy of his own minutes later and Llanelli were on their way.Tommy Hayes missed two kickable penalties for Glasgow, before some sublime inter-passing and support play resulted in Cardey crossing for his second try.On the half hour the hooker, Robin McBride, was sin-binned for persistent infringement. Glasgow, however, could not extract any advantage from their one-man superiority and in fact Llanelli struck twice before the interval as Easterby and Jones both scored at the posts.On the restart Llanelli appeared able to score at will, as Moon, Neil Boobyer, Johnny Koloi and Ian Boobyer all crossed for converted tries to rattle up the half century.

Glasgow's blushes were spared somewhat when Shaun Longstaff and Martin Waite twice crossed for tries, all converted by Hayes.Llanelli: M Cardey (C Warlow, 50); W Proctor (capt; M Jones, 50), N Boobyer, D James, S Finau; S Jones, R Moon; P Booth (M Madden, 60), R McBride (M Thomas, 50), J Davies, V Cooper, C Wyatt (T Copsey, 72), J Koloi, I Boobyer, S Easterby (I Jones, 62).Glasgow Caledonians: G Metcalfe (capt); S Longstaff, A Bulloch, J Stuart (M Waite, 65), J Craig; T Hayes, G Beveridge; D Hilton, G Scott, G McIlwham, S Campbell, J White, G Simpson, J Petrie, D McFadyen.Referee: R Elliott (Cardiff).. Gloucester are not wearing well. As the season enters its critical phase they are off the pace and losing ground. Soundly beaten in the cup a fortnight ago, they have now been supplanted in the Premiership pecking order by a side with more ambition and wit, although at Kingsholm yesterday much of it was wasted by fundamental errors and rank carelessness Gloucester are not wearing well. As the season enters its critical phase they are off the pace and losing ground. Soundly beaten in the cup a fortnight ago, they have now been supplanted in the Premiership pecking order by a side with more ambition and wit, although at Kingsholm yesterday much of it was wasted by fundamental errors and rank carelessness. Nevertheless, Northampton's victory was all the more praiseworthy given that it was achieved with a scrum which lost a staggering three strikes against the head and, for long spells, without a line-out.

Put it another way, if there was a line-out Federico Mendez could not find it. His throwing in was abysmal and on one occasion he missed his jumpers altogether, throwing straight to a bemused Kingsley Jones.From that you may gather that it was not the Argentine's day, although he did have the effrontery and skill to attempt a reverse pass to Ali Hepher when he had run out of steam following a searing break by Matt Dawson. Hepher scored and Northampton were on their way to what, ultimately, was a comfortable win.The fact is that Gloucester have been rumbled. Shorn of their forward power, they have little else to offer and in the sphere of forward driving, especially close to the fringes, Northampton are the best in the business.Pat Lam is the central figure and yesterday he received admirable support from his flankers Budge Pountney and Don Mackinnon. Not only do the Northampton forwards invariably make ground close to the breakdown but they are marvellously adept at keeping the ball alive in the tackle.Had they possessed a player behind who could finish off the countless breaches they made in Gloucester's defence, this would have been a massacre.

Ben Cohen was the chief culprit, three times breaking the defence only to run aground on the final tackle.As it was, Northampton scored four tries and Dawson finished with 18 points from a try, three penalties and two conversions. He is at the very top of his form, but his appetite for the quickly taken penalty, which so often pays dividends, can at times be infuriating and tactically flawed He must also try to curb his habit of referee baiting. On one of the occasions that Mendez lost a strike, so busy was Dawson attempting to engage Brian Campsall in conversation that he neglected to cover the blind side. It could have proved costly had Gloucester possessed a player capable of exploiting the gap.Apart from a dismal spell midway through the first half when they committed just about every basic error in the book and conceded two penalties to Simon Mannix, Northampton were in control.Matt Stewart's discomfort on the Northampton tight head against Trevor Woodman was matched by Phil Vickery's difficulties in opposition to Garry Pagel but Stewart had enough steam to scramble over for the first try from a scrummage after 11 minutes. Dawson converted and kicked a penalty before Northampton went into their downward spiral, Mendez committing his faux pas at the line-out and Nick Beal making a hash of a pass a couple of yards from his line.From that point on it was Gloucester who suffered and it wasn't until they belatedly brought on Ian Sanders at scrum-half and began to spread the ball wide that they made any headway By then, however, the gap was too great to close. Before half-time Dawson scored from a ruck close to the line and in the second half Hepher's try came after Dawson had broken from deep inside his own half and Mendez had carried the move up to the Gloucester 22. Rob Jewell, a replacement for the wounded Mannix, scored a try for Gloucester, whose snappy handling and passing were in marked contrast to their laboured efforts earlier.Dawson kicked his third penalty before Matt Allen outflanked the cover to score in the corner.