Josh Turnbull has called on Cardiff Blues to take heart from their Welsh derby form ahead of Saturday's Judgement Day IV clash with the Ospreys.
Danny Wilson’s side have done the double over both the Scarlets and Newport Gwent Dragons this season.
They have not triumphed over the Ospreys in five years but Turnbull reckons they can go into the Principality Stadium clash with confidence.
He said: “There have been a few games since the Blues have beaten the Ospreys but it’s another little incentive and if we win this one we will be five derby wins out of six.
“At the beginning of the season we pinpointed a few things and winning derbies was key.
“That was going to change the perspective of people and show that we are a true Welsh region that can compete at the top of the league.
“Looking back to the Scarlets, we played an open and expansive game. We were strong in the contact area both in attack and defence and controlled the pace of the game.
“When we got turnovers, we were able to counter-attack and cause the Scarlets problems.
“Two weeks ago against the Dragons we were a little bit off that but we still came away with a good win.
“There were a few things we needed to iron out from that performance but we have done that during the last two weeks and as a group we have started raising the intensity levels as we look forward to another Welsh derby.”
If Cardiff Blues beat the Ospreys and finish the season on a winning note against Edinburgh the following week, they could snatch a sixth-placed spot in the Guinness PRO12, which would secure European Champions Cup rugby.
And while Turnbull admits that is the ultimate goal, he knows the Blues cannot afford to take their eye off the ball on Saturday.
He added: “We’re capable of performing and being competitive in this league. If we hadn’t lost a couple of games like Leinster at home by a point and the two Italians then we might have been in a better situation than we are now.
“But we still have an opportunity and we have to take the next two games as they come and prepare well for both of them.
“We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves, it’s important as a group that we stay tight because the target is getting in the top six and that’s Champions Cup rugby next season.”