Captain Andries Pretorius admitted Blues would have to regroup and take the result on the chin after they suffered a 30-25 defeat to Zebre in the RaboDirect PRO12 clash at the Arms Park.

Pretorius led the team for the first time this season on home soil, but it was a night of frustration for the back row and his team-mates as the Italians claimed a first-ever win in the league.

“At the moment we are very frustrated. There were parts of the game when I felt we were in complete control and we worked hard,” he said.

“You have to give credit to Zebre. They pushed Munster close last week and we knew they had done their homework in the off-season and recruited well. They were hungry for a result. Tonight one or two little lapses cost us dearly.

“We are hurt by the fact we had control in that game. There were facets of play when we were completely in control, working hard in their 22 and not being clinical cost us.

“We know that the RaboDirect PRO12 is becoming more and more competitive, there are no easy matches,” he added.

“We have to regroup this week, take it on the chin and learn as quickly as we can before we play Leinster. We have got to make sure we come out all guns blazing next week.

“The group of players that we have here are a proud bunch of boys. We will come in Monday, re-gather and look at the footage and be desperate to learn from what happened tonight.

“There are no easy games, the pressure is there every week in htis league, but we must regroup and learn from this.”