Danny Wilson was delighted with the contribution of outside halves, Jarrod Evans and Gareth Anscombe, during Friday's 36-30 Guinness PRO14 win over Connacht at Cardiff Arms Park.
The duo racked up a total of 21 points from the boot, which proved decisive as Wales’ Capital Region climbed above their opponents in Conference A.
Wales international Anscombe continued his comeback from a long-term groin injury, which kept him out of action for the first three months of the season, and came off the bench on Friday, replacing Evans after 51 minutes.
Wilson is pleased with the mix of experience and youth in his options for the number 10 jersey, and is keen to see both players compete for a starting spot.
“Jarrod Evans, in the short space of time he’s been playing at 10 for us, has really improved dramatically,” said Wilson.
“He’s a very young 10 so he’s going to have his good and his bad, and make his mistakes, but he’s a real good running threat to the line, he plays very flat, is an attacking threat, a good defender and there are some good aspects to his game.
“He probably needs to add a little bit to his kicking game, but he’s a very exciting players who, from an attack point of view, can cause some real problems.
“But then Gareth comes on and does exactly the same and shows the quality he offers.
“We missed his presence for a number of months and it’s great to have him back and great to see him back kicking goals as well.
“Gareth is extremely experienced for a young man, and is a quality player, not only with his running game and attacking game, but what pleased me, with him coming back from a groin injury, was seeing him kicking goals, with one from a long way out.”
Another player who impressed Wilson on Friday was PRO14 debutant wing, Owen Lane, who crossed for a second half try and was named the Guinness man-of-the-match.
Lane can play at outside centre or on the wing, and Wilson insists the Cardiff Blues academy member has the right mentality and attitude to continue his rapid development.
Wilson said: “I was very pleased with Owen Lane, on his debut, to play the way that he did. It’s a mark of the man that the first thing he’s picked up on is that he missed two tackles.
“As I told him, there were a lot of positives from his performance, he scored a good try and showed again that he’s a young player coming through who has got a big future in the game. I was pleased to see him go out and play as well as he did.
“Wing was probably through opportunity and injuries. Cuthy is away, Blaine Scully away, Aled Summerhill injured, which meant we were a little bit short on wings. It presented an opportunity for him on the wing, but he is a very intelligent kid.
“He knows the game well from 13 and from wing and he’s like a sponge. You only need to tell him things once and he’ll grasp them really quickly, and that’s why we felt really comfortable playing him on the wing.
“Like other boys such as Jarrod, he’s a young lad who needs to be given the time and right development to come through, but it’s a great start for him.”