Will Boyde has branded Cardiff Blues first-half performance as “unacceptable” but insists there were plenty of positives from a hugely impressive comeback.
Wales’ Capital Region were down and out as Pau bludgeoned their way to a 31-7 lead early in the second-half.
However, the Blues were undeterred and launched a comeback with three more tries from Hallam Amos and Owen Lane, who completed a hat-trick.
It could have been more for Cardiff Blues, who pressured for a fifth try but came up agonisingly short at Stade du Hameau.
Boyde said: “We will take some positives from that but to be behind at that point by such a deficit, we just can’t afford to give them big leads like that.
“We played into their hands, kicking the ball off in our own half but we adjusted that in the second half, and we got a few scores on the score board. We couldn’t quite match them in that first 20 where they steamrolled us, but we matched them in the last 60 and it didn’t quite come to fruition.
“There was that buzz on the pitch and that feeling that we could edge them at the end but we didn’t come through and that’s disappointing.
“Giving away a four try lead by half-time is unacceptable so we are disappointed with that but there are positives we can take moving forward.”
John Mulvihill’s men still have a fighting chance of reaching the knockout stages in Europe but attention temporarily turns back to the Guinness PRO14 and a hat-trick of Welsh derbies.
The Blues travel to Swansea next week before hosting the Dragons and Scarlets, and Boyde insists there will be no shortage of confidence.
He added: We’re really looking forward to the Welsh derbies, it’s a key point in the season over that Christmas period. We would have liked to have rolled into them with another win on our backs but we will rebuild and it won’t take much to get up for the derbies.”
Tickets for Cardiff Blues’ Christmas derbies against both the Dragons and Scarlets are available now. Click here or call 029 20 302030 to secure yours today.