Captain Liam Belcher says it’s an ‘exciting time’ as Cardiff prepare to travel to Galway to face Connacht in the last 16 of the EPCR Challenge Cup on Saturday night at the Dexcom Stadium.
The Blue and Blacks have already played Connacht twice this season, and were narrowly defeated by the Irish outfit at the Arms Park in the group stage of the competition.
Cardiff qualified for the knockouts in 16th place, while the hosts progressed as the number one seeds, but Belcher says anything can happen in cup matches.
“Normally it would be quite different but I think we played six weeks ago and then two weeks prior as well,” said Belcher.
“It’s bit of a weird one, playing a team three times in the space of eight weeks.
“The good thing is it’s a one-off and anything can happen in these cup games.
“It’s an exciting time for the club, going over there against the first seed, number one in the comp.
Cardiff will have to contend with strong winds at the Dexcom Stadium, which they struggled with when they played there in the BKT United Rugby Championship earlier this year.
“When we played up there six weeks ago it was strong wind and that’s something we’ve spoken about.
“We didn’t manage well, especially in the first half going against it so hopefully it’s not as bad but if it is, we’ve got a game plan in place to execute.
The final of the ECPR Challenge Cup will be played at in Cardiff at the Principality Stadium in May, and although it is added motivation, Belcher wants to focus on this weekend’s game.
“We spoke about playing in Cardiff at the start of the week.
“Jockey mentioned having the finals here on home turf and I guess it is motivation enough on its own as a final, let alone being in Cardiff.
“But it’s more about focusing on Connacht and seeing how it goes this weekend.”
Heading into the business end of the season, Cardiff are still in contention in Europe and also the league, where they currently sit in 9th place, with the top eight going through to the playoffs.
It’s a new position to be in for Belcher and even club stalwart Rey Lee-Lo, but evidence that Cardiff are progressing according to the skipper.
“Rey Lee-Lo mentioned after Connacht last time, he hasn’t been in a situation with Cardiff where he’s had something to play for in May in the league,” said Belcher.
“And as far as I remember being growing up, I haven’t been in that situation since I was in the academy watching the seniors play.
“It’s been a long time, so I think it’s an exciting time for the boys and especially the squad.
“We’ve rotated quite a lot. A lot of boys have had game time, which shows the depth we’ve got.
“As a rugby player you want to be heading towards April, May with something to play for.
“Last year we didn’t and it was just more about just turning up and playing.
“That’s a lot harder especially comes to the end of the year, but I think the progress we’ve made from last year to this year is really good.”