John Mulvihill was delighted to see seven Cardiff Blues stars called into the Wales squad for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations.
Dillon Lewis, Seb Davies, Tomos Williams, Gareth Anscombe and Jarrod Evans all remain in the set-up following their involvement in the autumn.
Josh Navidi is also recalled to the squad after he missed the November Tests through injury and Josh Turnbull has been rewarded for his regional form.
Prior to last week’s clash with Glasgow Warriors, Turnbull had played every minute of every Cardiff Blues game this season and Mulvihill was particularly pleased for the versatile forward.
The head coach said: “As a region we’re delighted to have seven players represented in the squad. It is reward and the result of the hard work, dedication and commitment they give the Cardiff Blues each and every day.
“The selection is a significant individual acknowledgement of their form this year and serves as a timely reminder to all players that every minute in preparation and games is viewed and reviewed by the national selectors.
“For Josh in particular, he has played some of the best rugby in his career this year and continues to amaze team mates and coaches with his durability, commitment and passion to front up.
“His selection after being disappointed in the Autumn is a great reward for his personal drive and ambition to play to his potential every week.”
A number of players also narrowly missed out on selection but Mulvihill has reiterated the importance of performance on a consistent level in the PRO14 to showcase their talent.
He added: “Many of our players at the Cardiff Blues have aspirations to play at the highest level and continue to work hard.
“Players like Kristian Dacey, Lloyd Williams, Owen Lane and Jason Harris all narrowly missed selection this time around but will continue to put their hands upon for selection with continued consistent performances in the PRO14.”