A strong opening quarter paved the way for Cardiff's comprehensive bonus point win over Newcastle Falcons on Sunday, says Teddy Williams.
The young lock made his first start for the club as the Blue and Blacks booked their place in the last 16 of this season’s Challenge Cup.
The challenge now for the two-time winners is securing a home draw for the knockout stages, and Williams insists the current crop are desperate to continue the club’s rich tradition in Europe.
“We did a good job of it in the first 20 to 25 minutes. That gave us a good start to the game,” explained the academy graduate.
“Maybe at times after that we lacked a little bit of accuracy but that sometimes happens when the scoreboard is like that.
“We had the bonus point by half time, so the second half was about trying to keep imposing our game on them.
“We wanted to make sure we weren’t giving them anything soft or switching off.
“Every team wants to be competing on as many fronts as they can. That’s the challenge for us, but it’s one we definitely want to take on.
“This is a competition that the club takes seriously, but any silverware we can compete for, we will be looking to do that.
“We want to finish as high as we can in the pool and hopefully secure as many home knockout games as possible.”
Cardiff’s entire matchday squad comprised of Welsh qualified players, including 16 who had come through the club’s academy system, as Williams linked up with fellow Glantaf alumni Seb Davies in the second row.
Having impressed on his first start, the homegrown lock has enjoyed his increased involvement with the first team this season, but insists the hard work starts now.
Williams added: “Hats off to the club, it’s great that we can field that sort of team but still be competitive and win these games.
“For myself, I’ve really enjoyed being involved over the last few weeks.
“This week was my first start for the club, but I’ll look back at my game and see where I can improve. That gives me a good game to look over.
“I’ve worked closely with the strength and conditioning coaches just to try and get a bit bigger.
“I’m obviously naturally tall, but maybe not necessarily the biggest guy in the world. So yes, it’s about getting bigger to play at this level of rugby regularly.”
The Clubhouse will be opening its doors on Saturday to show Cardiff's final pool stage match against Brive (KO 8pm). Come along to support the Blue and Blacks and enjoy the matchday atmosphere from our Arms Park home!