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Anscombe fired up for Leinster trip

22nd March 2017


Gareth Anscombe is anticipating a "massive occasion" in Dublin on Saturday, as Cardiff Blues prepare to take on Guinness PRO12 leaders, Leinster, at the RDS Arena (KO 3.00pm).

Leo Cullen's side took the spoils in the reverse fixture at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park in October, securing a narrow 16-13 win, despite a sensational individual score by Anscombe during the first half.

The outside-half acknowledges the challenges facing his side at the Irish capital, but insists him and his team-mates are motivated for the clash.

“We had Leinster at home early on in the season and, looking back, it was a game that we lost more than anything so we know we can compete with them,” said Anscombe.

"It starts in Dublin and it’s a few big weeks for the club. You can notice that in training - the boys are training well and there is a different mentality and rise in intensity.

“The squad are excited for the challenge and hopefully the boys can really pick ourselves up for a massive occasion in Dublin.

“To face Leinster, at their place, is always a big game and they’re coming into this match on a bit of form and have been dominant in recent matches.

“We’re in for a massive challenge, but we want to go there with a positive mindset and keep improving before another big game against Gloucester next weekend.

“These big games is where you want to be playing against the best teams, you want to face tough challenges and test yourself against some big name players."

The clash with Leinster begins a crucial block of games for Danny Wilson's men, with trips to Gloucester and Ulster coming up, before the Blues face Ospreys at Judgement Day on April 15.

Anscombe, who has racked up 69 points for Cardiff Blues this season, revealed his side have been working hard to improve their game in training over the past few weeks, and he is confident they can implement that over the next couple of games.

Anscombe continued: "Looking back over the past few weeks, we were disappointed with the Munster game, despite the tough conditions, but we learnt a few things in that match as a team and we’re trying to better ourselves from week-to-week.

"We’ve identified this as a pretty tough block and ideally these are the games you need to target in order to keep in touch with the leaders on the ladder.

"You always want to play well in these big occasions, and we’ve got Judgement Day coming up in a few weeks as well. 

"If we can keep improving and work on our own game we can target a few wins now because we’re not here to make up the numbers. 

"If we can get better each week, we can pull off a couple of upsets in the next few games."