Glasgow blew open the Welsh-Scottish League race with a well-earned success at Hughenden.

Mark McKenzie came off the bench to ensure that justice was done as he stroked over a decisive long-range penalty in the dying seconds to the delight of the large crowd.

They had broken the deadlock with a try by prop Gordon McIlwham, converted by Tommy Hayes, who then traded penalties with Neil Jenkins.

Hesitation among the back-ranks allowed wing Nick Walne to hack the ball ahead three times in a row before diving for the vital touch.

There was another series of kicks featuring Hayes and Jenkins before Caley surged ahead again.

Hayes was not so fortunate with the conversion, and Cardiff immediately re-entered the contest with another kick by dead-eye Jenkins.

Howley's blow

Then came a major blow for the Reds as the Welshmen claimed another soft score to level it again.

Less than 30 seconds after coming off the bench, former Wales skipper Rob Howley cruised across at the end of a narrow-side dash.

And to compound the Caley jitters, Jenkins bagged the extra points from the widest possible angle.

Reds frantically returned to all-out attack in a bid to rescue the points.

Hayes was wide with a penalty and was replaced by McKenzie, who promptly fluffed a snap drop-goal attempt.

The former Stirling County man then set up a dramatic finale as he banged over a penalty from 40 metres - and Caley held on.

Glasgow Caledonians coach Richie Dixon vowed to keep his players' feet on the ground after their dramatic 27-26 victory over Cardiff at Hughenden.

He declared: "Obviously everyone in the camp is thrilled with the result and the way we achieved it, but it is only a small step forward and we will not get carried away.

"We played some excellent rugby and in general the defence was strong, but we were still guilty of giving away points through needless lapses.

"If we had made more of our first-half possession, we would have taken the pressure off ourselves at the end."

Dixon admitted his heart was in his mouth as Neil Jenkins lined up a last-gasp penalty which would have robbed the Reds.

He said: "I had to watch because you need to front up in situations like that. I expected him to get it - you expect him to get every kick.

"I was quite taken aback when it fell short - but absolutely delighted because we ended up with what we deserved."

Scorers - Glasgow: Tries: T Hayes, G McIlwham; Con: Hayes; Pens: Hayes (4), M McKenzie

Cardiff: Tries: Howley, Walne; Cons: Jenkins (2); Pens: Jenkins (4)

Teams

Glasgow Caledonians: G Metcalfe, S Longstaff, A Bulloch, I Jardine, J Craig, T Hayes, G Beveridge, D Hilton, G Bulloch (capt), G McIlwham, S Griffiths, S Campbell, J White, J Petrie, G Simpson
Replacements: G Scott, A Watt, D Burns, M Waite, F Stott, M McKenzie, R Shepherd

Cardiff: R Williams, N Walne, J Robinson, P Muller, C Morgan, N Jenkins, R Powell, A Lewis, J Humphreys, S John, J Tait, M Voyle, G Kacala, O Williams, D Baugh
Replacements : R Howley, M Rayer, W Fyvie, G Powell, C Quinnell, D Geraghty, G Thomas

Referee: Patrick Thomas (France)

Att: 3,500