Seb Davies insists Cardiff Blues can remain positive after securing two victories in the Guinness PRO14 festive derbies.
Following back-to-back wins over Dragons and Scarlets, John Mulvihill’s side suffered a 20-11 defeat against Ospreys at Liberty Stadium on Saturday, leaving them five points behind the Swansea-based outfit in Conference A.
With Wales’ Capital Region looking to book their place on Europe’s top table next season, Davies says the team are working hard to achieve their targets, with key Guinness PRO14 fixtures on the horizon.
“We’re disappointed, but we managed to win two out of the three festive derbies, and that’s pretty good I think,” said the lock.
“There’s only eight games remaining in the PRO14 now, so as a team we’ll have to produce some big performances to make a push for Europe.
“It is disappointing to lose against Ospreys, especially as we went into the game on the back of two really good victories in the other derbies.
“We played really well last week, and our defence was excellent at Parc y Scarlets, but our defence wasn’t up to that standard against Ospreys.
“We didn’t put enough phases together in either half, and their kicking game probably edged ours and we found the game just getting away from us to be honest.
“We needed to put those phases together to look for tries, rather than three points, but we weren’t able to do that.
“We weren’t good enough on the day, and their kicking game just put us under pressure.”
Wales’ Guinness Six Nations campaign gets underway on Friday, February 1, as they travel to Paris to take on Jacques Brunel’s France.
With the Rugby World Cup in Japan also on the horizon, Davies will hope to be selected in Warren Gatland’s squad, but insists his focus remains on regional duties.
The seven-times capped international said: “I haven’t looked too far ahead and haven’t thought much about the Six Nations selection.
“For me at the moment it’s about going out there to play well for the region and whatever will happen, will happen.
“I think I’ve played okay recently, so I might be in with a shout, but if I don’t make it, I won’t dwell. I’ll just make sure I keep working hard for Cardiff Blues.”