Danny Wilson has warned Cardiff Blues that their mind-set must be spot on if they are to continue their winning start to the Guinness PRO12 against Zebre.
Wales’ Capital Region have won their three opening fixtures of the Championship and travel to Parma on Saturday.
Despite that impressive form, Wilson is wary of the trip to northern Italy due to three consecutive losses at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi.
He said: “Recently the Italian teams have struggled on the road but they are a very different challenge at home.
“They are extremely proud of their home venue and home support and they play a sharper game of rugby both in terms of physicality and execution of skill when they are there.
“I’ve witnessed that a number of times and there are not many teams that go to Zebre and win by big margins.
“As Welsh regions generally in the last couple of years, we have struggled there. We want to put that right.
“Last year we didn’t go there with the right mind-set and attitude but I’m hoping that won’t be the case this year. We have talked about that a lot leading into this game.
“This is a real test to see where we are mentally. We have just proved in three games that we can play some rugby and win some games and not taking anything away from this venue – because it is still a tough place to play and a tough team – but we are going there with an expectation to win.”
Following Saturday’s trip to Italy, the Blues will welcome Leinster to BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park on October 1.
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