Warburton injured as valiant Blues deny Ulster

British and Irish Lions captaincy favourite Sam Warburton picked up a worrying knee injury as he helped Cardiff Blues secure a hard-fought 24-24 draw against Ulster in the Pro 12.

Warburton hobbled off injured prior to half-time in Friday’s clash, though early reports suggest the issue is unlikely to keep him out of action for too long.

The Wales flanker scored a try before being forced from the pitch, with Gareth Anscombe adding a conversion to his earlier penalty to put Cardiff 10-7 up after Paddy Jackson had put the hosts ahead.

However, the Blues were not on top for long as referee Ian Davies awarded Ulster a penalty try when a driving maul was hauled down as it headed for the line.

Two tries in quick succession from Reynold Lee-Lo put Cardiff back in charge early in the second half, only for Luke Marshall’s try, converted by Jackson, to haul Ulster level 10 minutes from time.

There was no deciding score as Danny Wilson’s side held firm for a valuable share of the spoils, potentially loosening Ulster’s grip on their top-four spot.

FULL TIME Score from the Kingspan Stadium #ULSvCBL pic.twitter.com/sggTjfRMuu

— PRO12RUGBY (@PRO12rugby) April 7, 2017

Elsewhere, Steve Crosbie was on top form from the tee, kicking five penalties and converting Eoin McKeon’s try as Connacht survived a second-half fightback to beat Edinburgh 22-19.

McKeon’s score represented five of Connacht’s 16 unanswered first-half points, and, although struggling Edinburgh rallied after the interval at Myreside, it was the visitors who claimed the points.