John Mulvihill says Cardiff Blues’ Challenge Cup encounter against Leicester Tigers is a must-win clash if Wales’ Capital Region want to keep their quarter final hopes alive.
Mulvihill’s side travel to Welford Road on Sunday sitting in second place in Pool 5, and are currently five points behind the Gallagher Premiership outfit.
The head coach is eager for his side to respond following the defeat to Leicester at the Arms Park earlier this season as the race for the knockout stages heats up.
“It will be a different challenge to the last time that we played against them. We were looking at a draw with 30 seconds to go on the clock and to lose that one was quite tough,” said the Australian.
“We probably over-played in that game but we’ve kicked on in both competitions since that game and have got an understanding of where we need to play.
“We’ve made some big improvements and we’re looking forward to the contest this week. It’s a must-win for us and heading into these two weeks in Europe, a lot of teams sit on similar amount of points.
“As I said, it’s a must-win for us and hopefully we can qualify for the quarter final in the final round of the pool stage.
“You can probably read too much into what other teams can do and the permutations heading into these fames.
“The basic for us is that if we win both games then we’ll qualify. We must win this week and then Calvisano will take care of itself as it will be a massive game to play for and the boys will be up for it.
“We want to get this week right and get the win, no matter by how many points.
“Leicester have been really good over the last two weeks. When you bring the quality of their international players back into the side, and they get a run to play together of a long period of time, you’ll get some good results.
“They’ve got their eye on two competitions and it will depend how serious they take this competition.
“If they go further in the Challenge Cup, it could impact on the strength of the team in some of the big Premiership games they’ve got coming up.”
Mulvihill’s side picked up two victories in the recent festive derbies, but suffered a narrow defeat to Scarlets.
The head coach is pleased with Cardiff Blues’ current form and is positive about their position heading into the final two weeks of European action.
“We haven’t lost too many games over the last couple of months so we’re in a good position.
“We had 39 players out in training today so we’ve got a pretty full bill of health, which is really good at this time of the year.
“Teams will often go through peaks and lulls, and with the Six Nations coming up you can struggle to put a big team out, but we should be quite strong coming through to this time of the year.
“What I was really pleased about was the way we played the game. But unfortunately we conceded around 14 turnovers within 40 meters of the try line.
“That means you’re not mounting pressure on the opposition to make an error, or forcing the referee to make a decision.
“We took those two things out of play, and ultimately that cost us.
“We’ve sat back and looked at it, and it could’ve been a six, seven or nine point win for us.”