Cardiff Blues raced to their biggest victory in two and a half years when they whitewashed Italian side Aironi 38-0 for a bonus point Pro 12 victory.
The Blues had to rely on the trusty boot of Dan Parks in a lacklustre first half but the floodgates opened after the break as replacement Casey Laulala, Hewitt, Tom James and Marc Breeze all went over to secure the bonus point.
The only downside for the Blues was a neck injury sustained by full-back Chris Czekaj, who was forced off just before the half-time break, as Cardiff Blues coaches Gareth Baber and Justin Burnell saw an already lengthy injury list added to.
The deadlock was broken after just three minutes when Parks, instrumental in the Heineken Cup victory over London Irish last time out, knocked over the first of his four first-half penalties. But Baber and Burnell would not have been happy at the break - the Blues too wasteful in possession and unable to carve out any clear-cut opportunities when in Aironi territory.
But when Aironi's Samoan centre Sinoti Sinoti was sin binned for an illegal tackle on 43 minutes, the Blues immediately capitalised and after the forwards fell just short of the try-line on the left, a move to the right saw New Zealander Laulala go over for his third try of the season.
Parks missed the relatively easy conversion and that stirred the Italians, who ought to have notched two penalties of their own before Sinoti's return - but for the wayward boot of Naas Olivier.
And Olivier was swiftly punished when Hewitt's incisive break lit up a match threatening to peter out on 59 minutes before James followed suit soon after with Aironi still shellshocked.
Parks notched both conversions to take his tally to 18 before being replaced by Ceri Sweeney, whose first involvement in the game was to convert fellow replacement Breeze's pushover try.
Desperate to ensure they did not return home with nothing, Aironi laid siege to the Blues' try-line in the closing stages but Cardiff stood resolute and moved into third in the table while their Italian visitors remain rooted to the bottom.
Final Score Cardiff Blues (12) 38 Aironi (0) 0
Scorers
Cardiff Blues
Tries: Laulala, Hewitt, James, Breeze
Cons: Parks (2), Sweeney
Pens: Parks (4)
Aironi
-
Referee: Leo Colgan (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Michael Black, Barrie O'Connell (both IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Tom McCormick (IRFU)
TMO: Seamus Flannery (IRFU)
Attendance: 4,557
Teams
Cardiff Blues: 15 Chris Czekaj 14 Richard Mustoe 13 Gavin Evans 12 Dafydd Hewitt 11 Tom James 10 Dan Parks 9 Richie Rees,8 Maama Molitika 7 Josh Navidi 6 Michael Paterson 5 Paul Tito (C) 4 Cory Hill 3 Taufaao Filise 2 T Rhys Thomas 1 John Yapp
Replacements:16 Marc Breeze 17 Nathan Trevett 18 Sam Hobbs 19 Macauley Cook 20 Ellis Jenkins 21 Lewis Jones 22 Ceri Sweeney 23 Casey Laulala
Aironi:15 Ruggero Trevisan; 14 Giulio Toniolatti, 13 Sinoti Sinoti, 12 Gilberto Pavan, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti; 10 Naas Olivier, 9 Tito Tebaldi;8 Josh Sole, 7 Filippo Ferrarini, 6 Nicola Cattina; 5 George Biagi, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys (cap); 3 Fabio Staibano, 2 Tommaso D’Apice, 1 Alberto De Marchi.
Replacements: 16 Fabio Ongaro, 17 Salvatore Perugini, 18 Lorenzo Romano, 19 Joshua Furno, 20 Frans Viljoen, 21 Tyson Keats, 22 Roberto Quartaroli, 23 Matteo Pratichetti.
With thanks to Rabodirect Pro 12.
