Danny Wilson insist his Cardiff Blues team can take confidence from their narrow defeat to Leinster in Dublin as they look ahead to their European Challenge Cup quarter-final at Gloucester.
Ross Molony’s 66th-minute try saw Leinster squeeze past the Blues for a nervy 22-21 Guinness Pro12 victory on Saturday.
Wilson said: “I said to the boys before the game that we have to come off the field and be able to look each other in the eye and be proud of our effort. I’m certainly proud of their effort today.
“To come away to Leinster and to lose by one-point and to have two clear cut opportunities to win the game is something we have to be proud of and people can get behind.
“There are a lot of plusses. We defended against huge pressure, a lot of field position.
“For the most of the game we defended their lineout and drive and our lineout functioned quite well, and we scored three great tries off turnover.
“There are a lot of positives in there but ultimately the difference between the two teams was that power game they can play.
“Hopefully we can build on that performance going into Gloucester next weekend.
“We have a game that can test Gloucester, there’s a couple of things we need to improve on and we’ll work hard this week to get that right.”
The slender defeat at the RDS ensures the Blues remain eighth in the Pro12 with any hope of a top six finish slipping away.
There are still play-off places to contend for, which could secure a place in next season’s European Champions Cup but for now the focus is on the Challenge Cup and next weekend’s quarter-final with Gloucester.
The Blues face the Cherry and Whites at Kingsholm on Saturday, April 1 (8.00pm).
Wilson added: “This game (Leinster) will hopefully give us some confidence in terms of how close we have come to beating a European heavyweight away from home.
“We now have to back that up and go one step further at Kingsholm.”
Leo Cullen’s men remain top of the table, despite coming under fierce pressure from a Blues side who thrived on turnovers, charging out of their own half for all three of their tries.
Dan Leavy and Luke McGrath returned from Ireland duty with a try apiece as Leinster led 14-7 at half-time, the Blues hitting back with a well-worked Tomos Williams effort.
The visitors continued to capitalise on Leinster errors, a slick counter-attack putting scrum-half Williams over for a levelling 47th-minute try before Ross Byrne’s penalty made it 17-14.
A breakaway score from Blues replacement Sion Bennett had Leinster’s two-year unbeaten PRO12 run at the RDS under serious threat, however, second row Molony’s five-pointer from a maul proved to be the match winner.