Harri Millard opened up about his team’s disappointing 19-25 defeat to Scarlets in front of a packed home crowd at the Arms Park.
Despite scoring two tries, Millard saw his efforts fall just short in a tense derby that saw both teams make mistakes in a topsy turvy game.
Reflecting on the match, Millard found it tough to reconcile Cardiff's recent away victory over Scarlets with the home loss.
“Yeah, it was a tough one. Weird beating them at their patch and then them coming down here to beat us at ours,” he commented.
“It’s a difficult one to take because I think we've done enough to win the game as well. The boys dug deep, but we just didn't do enough in the end.”
Millard praised the Scarlets’ game management, highlighting how they slowed the match's pace during critical periods.
However, he conceded the Blue and Blacks should have been more clinical when the visitors were down to 13 men after two yellow cards.
“They slowed the game down a lot to get their boys back on the field,” he said. “But we still put ourselves in positions where we could have won that game, but then turned over ball or knocked on.”
“We could have been more disciplined when they were down to 13. It would have kept us in the game and maybe we would have won it.”
The two derbies against the Scarlets have proved to be physical contests, marked by several yellow cards and off-the-ball altercations.
“I guess they have been pretty messy. There’s been a lot of yellow cards in the last two games against them,” Millard noted. “Discipline's not been there from both teams.”
“Lots of scraps off the ball and stuff, but it’s a derby so you expect that. But unfortunately, they came out on top this evening.”
Despite the loss, Millard praised the Cardiff fans for their passionate support.
“They keep turning out, coming down to watch us play. 12,000 or 12,500, that's so good for us.
“You can hear the crowd as well; it’s like the 16th man. Hopefully, they keep coming down.”
Millard also endured a knee injury during the game after a try saving tackle on Scarlets forward Taine Plumtree. However, he is optimistic about his recovery.
“I managed to play another 25 minutes with the knee strapped up quite heavily. Hopefully, it’s all good and the physios give me the all-clear.
“I think my knee just hit the floor as I tackled him. He was running quite fast and he's a big boy as well.”
Looking forward, Millard remains positive about the growing chemistry within the team.
“I think there are combinations coming into play and people are linking up well with each other.
“We spend a lot of time off the field together as well. We're only going to get more cohesive as a group, and hopefully, we'll show that on the field.”