Josh Turnbull is determined to build on Cardiff Blues’ win over Benetton Rugby as they prepare for a trip to Dublin on Sunday.
The forward was named Guinness Man of the Match in Newport, as tries from Owen Lane, Ben Thomas and Rory Thornton ensured Cardiff Blues bounced back from three consecutive defats.
Turnbull was pleased to see his side sticking to the game-plan, despite a last minute change in the back row following James Botham’s call-up to the Wales squad.
“We’d prepared for the conditions we were going to come up against, and we also knew that Benetton would be coming over with a big set piece, so we can be proud of the way the boys developed the gameplan on the field,” said the utility forward.
“We’d spoken during the week about the importance of focusing on ourselves and make sure play to our strengths.
“That’s important against a side like Benetton, because they can create problems and make life difficult.
“But we always knew we could score tries against them, especially in the second half as they tire, but the weather made it a little bit more difficult for us.
“It was important to get that result, especially as we’re now preparing to travel to Leinster on the weekend.
“We’re pleased to get the victory, but now it’s time to move on and learn from what went well against Benetton.
“It will be a good challenge in Dublin and all the boys will be looking forward to going out there.
“We’ve been training really well over the last few weeks, and boys like James Ratti and Alun Lawrence have impressed impressed so with boys missing in the back row the transition can still be seamless.
“We’ve seen that in the last game, where Ratti came in to slot in at flanker and Alun came onto the bench.
“So all credit to James Botham because he’s earned his opportunity to join the Welsh squad.”
The victory was the icing on the cake at Rodney Parade, as three academy products celebrated significant milestones in their careers. Garyn Smith became a centurion, Owen Lane won his 50th cap while Teddy Williams made his first appearance for his home region.
Turnbull was delighted to see the trio mark their occasion with a win, and revealed there are plenty more academy products to follow, with a number of youngsters making an impression in training.
“When someone wins their 100th or 50th cap, you want to go out there and perform for them,” added the Welsh international.
“Those boys deserve what they achieve and they’ve worked extremely hard to reach this point.
“Garyn will be amongst the youngest players to play 100 games for this region and it’s proves that boys are coming through and they have a lot of experiences under their belts.
“It shows that the academy is working and there are a number of young boys who have been training with the first team in recent weeks.
“They want to be here and they want to play. Teddy Williams has made his debut this week, and you have the likes of Gwilym Bradley and Alex Mann training with us during the week.
“They’re coming through and quickly putting pressure on some of us older players.”