Josh Turnbull insists Cardiff Blues must front up during next week’s crucial Judgement Day clash against Ospreys if they want to claim the title of best Welsh region.
The Principality Stadium clash will be winner-takes-all as both sides target a fourth place finish in Conference A of Guinness PRO14, securing a place in the play-off for a spot in next season’s Heineken Champions Cup.
The Welsh international forward believes his side have shown character at times during the campaign but insists motivation won’t be an issue for the squad.
“There’s been times this season where it’s been difficult and it was tough to lose the first three games by a total of less than seven points. They would’ve been enough for us to be in the play-off positions,” said Turnbull.
“The way we bounced back to beat Munster in the fourth game shows what we’re capable of doing.
“We’ve done it twice against the Scarlets and Dragons, performed well against Saracens and beaten Lyon home and away.
“We’ve had some big tests this year where we’ve turned up and fronted up as a squad.
“Everyone loves derbies and they bring the best out of players.
“When we front up, we know we can do that and we’ve already proven that against other regions.
“If we want to call ourselves the best region in Wales, we have to beat the Ospreys next week.
“This could be the last game of the season, and might be the final time some of the boys get to wear the jersey, and everyone in the building want to sign off the campaign with a bang.
“We’ve made it a little bit more difficult for ourselves now as we have to beat the Ospreys to in finish fourth spot and seal that play-off game. It’s another game where we have to treat it as a final.”