Lloyd Williams believes Cardiff Blues’ dramatic win over Benetton Rugby can be used as a benchmark for the rest of the campaign.
The scrum half captained his side in Treviso and crossed the whitewash as Wales’ Capital Region secured maximum points on the road, thanks to Jason Harries’ try in the final play.
Williams praised the travelling support out in Italy and believes the win could give his side momentum ahead of next week’s Challenge Cup clash against Pau.
“We can be really pleased with the result and the performance was even better,” said the Welsh international.
“We performed really well and what we prepared during the week is what we managed to put into practice, and that’s a great thing for us.
“To be fair to Benetton, they scored some great tries. There’s some tries that you can’t defend and that was the case with a couple of their scores, because they had a great attack.
“You can’t fault the work rate of the lads and every time they scored, we managed to regroup and speak about what we needed to do next to get back into the game.
“Our forwards especially in the set piece and line-outs were very good and kept us in the game.
“A win in the league this year is great for us, whoever we’re playing. Treviso are a great side and they’ve shown over the last couple of years what they can do here.
“We’re really happy that we managed to get the result alongside a really good performance and it can be a bit of a benchmark to where we need to be if we want to win games this year.
“Pau will be a big test next week, and it’s a game that we need to win at home.
“It will be great to have the international boys back in camp this week, as they’re team-mates and friends of ours.
“To have them back will really bolster us and having quality like that is never a bad thing. Both on and off the field they’re great guys. I’m looking forward to catching up with them on Monday.
“The fans follow us everywhere and it does make a difference, especially away from home like this.
“They gave us a bit of a lift in those dying seconds of the game.”
The try and win capped off a perfect day for Williams, who celebrated his 30th birthday in Italy.
The scrum half added: “I’ve had worse birthdays! It’s my 28th birthday today so it’s great for the boys to set me up on a high!
“Kirby Myhill, to be fair, was driving at the back and I gave him the call.
“It was a two-on-one and it was a great call from him to give it, and I scored as a result of that decision from him.”