Richard Hodges was left feeling nothing but pride as Cardiff Blues kicked off their Heineken Champions Cup campaign with a thrilling victory over Lyon.
The Blues beat the French outfit twice during their march to the European Challenge Cup title last season but following a summer of impressive recruitment, it was a much tougher proposition on this occasion.
Lyon, in their first ever game in the top tier of European rugby, boasted a behemoth pack and bludgeoned their way to a 10-0 lead at Stade de Gerland.
But Wales’ Capital Region were undeterred and hit-back with quick-fire tries. Gareth Anscombe raced over for the match-winning try after the break but the defensive effort was equally impressive.
Not only did Cardiff Blues soak up immense pressure, putting their bodies on the line, but they ruled supreme at the breakdown, winning 10 turnovers – three from Dillon Lewis.
Selection was made with this in mind and Hodges was thrilled that the calculated risk paid off.
He said: “It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation because you lose some kilos at the set-piece but with the way the game is at the moment and our identity, a mobile back five who are really good over the ball, it sometimes makes sense. That was certainly evident in the second half.
“Our work at the breakdown was excellent and it’s something we work on from one to 15 during the week to make sure everybody has that role.
“At half-time the message was clear, don’t be frustrated by the fact that we haven’t got a turnover because they will start to come.
“Dils got the first one and that got us on a roll. Those turnovers were the redeeming feature of our defence in the second-half and I’m really proud of this group – they were tight, cohesive and they hit hard.
“As coaches we wanted to get Samu (Manoa) into the game but we didn’t want to take off any of the back-row off because Navs is the glue that holds us together and Olly, Ellis and some of the front-row were having a field day at the breakdown. It was a great defensive effort at the breakdown.”
The Blues have now won four victories in a row in all competitions and have won nine of their last 10 fixtures against French opposition.
Hodges has been part of many of those and believes Sunday’s victory was the sweetest.
He added: “To get any win away from home in Europe is special and especially in this competition. Last year we probably faced a few mix and match sides and got some excellent wins but this is probably the best one.
“In the first few games we were a bit disappointed, and it mirrors the start we had last year defensively so maybe we need to have a look at that big picture, but over the last four games we’ve conceded under 20 points a game and if we keep doing that and align it with our attacking identity we will go well.
“There will be bumps in the road and we have to understand that but let’s just focus on Glasgow next Sunday.”
Cardiff Blues kicked off their Heineken Champions Cup campaign with a stunning victory at Lyon, and will return to the Arms Park to take on Glasgow Warriors on Sunday.
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