John Mulvihill insists his side must focus on each game as it comes, as Cardiff Blues travel to Treviso to take on Benetton on Saturday.
Wales’ Capital Region will be looking to bounce back from last week’s opening day defeat to Leinster, while Kieran Crowley’s side head into the clash on the back of a victory over Dragons at Rodney Parade.
The Cardiff Blues head coach says his side have an opportunity in Italy to make up ground following the loss to Leinster, but is expecting a tough and physical challenge at Stadio Monigo.
“I have a big board in my office that has 30 games on it, and we’re only on round one, so even round five or six seems a long way away,” said Mulvihill.
“I know it’s a cliché, but it’s really important that we focus on one game at a time. If we get through Benetton, and have a whole lot of injuries, then we have to think about flying people over, and it becomes a completely different ball game.
“I hate to focus too far ahead. We’ve got this game this week, but if we get a really good result, it sets us up nicely for the Zebre game.
“Benetton are a tricky team to play, and have really got their act together over the last number of seasons.
“They have some good international players from Africa and New Zealand, and they’ve got some current Test players from Italy.
“They have a real power game, and they work really well around that. They’re going to be a challenge.
“What we did this season in recruitment, is that we’ve got depth in different positions. For example, our front row stocks are full so it’s important to give those guys opportunities.
“If we get back on the plane in eight days time, with twelve points in the bank, then that’s technically three wins and we’re in a really good position.”
Cardiff Blues secured two bonus points during the game against defending champions Leinster, after Rey Lee-Lo and debutant Jason Harries went over for two tries each.
Mulvihill remains optimistic following his side’s performance, and insists his side are determined to continue to aim for the skies throughout the campaign.
The Australian said: “The boys were disappointed that we didn’t get the result we wanted. We got quite a good performance, but you always look back at what could’ve been and there were a couple of moments where we could’ve done better.
“We have taken the bit of momentum we got from that game into the week. It was really important that we got over our disappointment early.
“It was probably good that it was a Friday game, because when the boys turned up on Monday they knew it was game on - we have to get a win this week.
“The boys have set themselves high goals, and want to win as many games as possible.
“Even though we’ve been good in attack, coming out of these Italian games, I hope that we’re a little bit better, which would give us less time in defence. That allows the body to recover better because after playing some of the best sides, we might not train until Tuesday or Wednesday.”