Fly-half Callum Sheedy hailed the side’s second-half performance, which saw Cardiff pull off a remarkable comeback victory over Ulster in the BKT United Rugby Championship, overcoming a 19-point deficit in what will go down as another special night at the Arms Park.
Reflecting on the game, Sheedy acknowledged the tough first half that left Cardiff on the back foot before the turnaround started.
“The first half was weird,” said Sheedy. “I think we had 29% possession, so we didn’t really get to fire a shot.
“And it felt like every time they made a half break, they were turning into a try.
“It didn’t feel like they were hammering us necessarily, but maybe a few loose kicks with pretty average kick chase, and then they were pretty good at finishing those opportunities.
Trailing 19-0 at halftime, Cardiff’s outlook appeared grim, but Sheedy and his teammates remained focused.
Cardiff’s backline found its rhythm, with Sheedy quick to praise his fellow backs.
“We came in at half time and there was no panic. It was like we’re 19-0 down, it’s not a great position to be in, but we’ve got to go and fire some shots.
“The way we played in the second half, the way we varied our game, it’s probably the best our attack’s looked all season.
“Cam Winnett and Ben Thomas working off the back of that shape, Rory Jennings too is when we get going, we’re connected, really tough to defend and I think that showed that tonight.
“Ben was outstanding again like he has been all season. Cam Winnett coming around, Mason Grady, obviously Iwan Stephens was unplayable tonight.
“If you get the ball into their hands in space, they’re going to make things happen.”
Sheedy emphasised how much this victory meant for the team’s confidence moving forward and also credited the Cardiff supporters, whose energy added fuel to the comeback effort.
“Now going into the next block, we talk about growth, we talk about fight. It was in abundance there in the second half.
“I thought the crowd were outstanding. You know, that really does give us a boost when it’s in those sort of tight finishes.
“We got over the line and when you’ve got a four week break to go off with a loss it’s pretty grim.
“You’re thinking about it and it’s tough, but when you go with a win now, you can relax and Sundays are always nice.”
Reflecting on his personal performance, Sheedy admitted that kicking has been a challenge this season but felt relieved after a strong night from the tee.
“I think we scored 80% of our tries right in the corner, so they’re not doing anything with my stats,” he joked.
“I prefer a kick standing on the line because you’ve really got to focus. It’s a work on the mind that every kick needs to be like that.
“I didn’t overly think the situation just stuck to my process. I knew there was still 10 minutes to go, but it was a big kick because I’m my own biggest critic and I’m not happy with missing goal kicks.
“I’ve missed too many this season, so to be able to nail a couple tonight was pleasing.”
With the win, Cardiff sit in 8th place in the URC standings and remain in the play-off, setting up a promising season ahead.
“I haven’t actually seen the lead table but I would imagine we’re only a couple of points off even higher.
“We have frustrations at the end of the block, you review it and I think we’ll be pretty frustrated that we didn’t beat the Scarlets.
“I think throughout the season you’ll pick up some points you probably don’t deserve and you’ll drop some points you probably do deserve, it’s just the nature of the beast.”
Heading into the next phase, Sheedy and the team can be satisfied with their opening block of matches, with tonight’s victory hopefully acting as a catalyst for their season.
“We spoke in the week that we’re not outcome based but it was quite a big game in terms of if we win, we knew we kind of were in the mix, if we lost, it kind of creates a bit of a separation,” added Sheedy.
“So, after six games to still be in the mix is, I wouldn’t say we’re happy with it because we’ve dropped some points we shouldn’t, but satisfied-ish.”