Jarrod Evans is excited to get ‘stuck in’ as Cardiff Blues kick off the festive derbies with a trip to Liberty Stadium to take on Ospreys.
John Mulvihill’s side travel to Swansea for the first Welsh derby of the season, looking to extend their run to three consecutive Guinness PRO14 victories and claim a first victory at Liberty Stadium since 2005/06.
Despite last week’s defeat at Pau, the outside half insists confidence remains high in camp and says the squad are desperate to taste victory against their rivals.
“We’re feeling pretty confident. It was disappointing in Pau last week but we built some momentum from the previous weeks, leading up to that, especially with some of the Wales players coming back,” said the Welsh international.
“We’ve got confidence and it won’t take much motivating for us to be right up for these Christmas derbies, to be honest.
“The surface down in Liberty Stadium is normally pretty good. I’m not sure what the weather is going to be like, but we’ve prepared for any weather.
“It hasn’t been the perfect season for them, but they’ve probably turned a corner a little bit and started to get a few boys back on the field.
“We haven’t won down there for more than 10 years and it’s never easy to go down there, no matter what team is fielded.
“But the boys are motivated to get that win and we’ve set ourselves a target over these three derbies to push on and get three wins.”
Evans also believes the competitiveness for international selection, and the players’ familiarity with each other, gives the festive derbies an added edge.
The playmaker added: “It’s almost like a trial period for some of the Wales players, you could say. But you’ve got to park that and put it in the back of your mind and do what’s best for the team.
“The most important thing for everyone is get the win for the team. That’s what we’re concentrating on against the Ospreys first up, with Dragons and Scarlets to come as well.
“The more you become known, the more teams try to target you and shut you down.
“We’ll try to counteract that on the weekend and the rest of the derbies.
“A lot of the boys will know each other’s traits and how each side like to play, so it’s about how you counteract that and we’re looking forward to getting stuck in in these derbies.
“I want to do my bit for the team, and hopefully I can keep putting in some good performances. I want to challenge myself and see where I get to.”