Danny Wilson has paid a glowing tribute to livewires Matthew Morgan and Alex Cuthbert following their starring performances in Cardiff Blues' bonus-point victory over Bristol.
The 37-21 victory ensures the Blues qualify for the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup but they had to work hard for the spoils.
Despite leading 12-0 early on, following tries from Kristian Dacey and Gareth Anscombe, Bristol fought back.
But a brace of tries for Morgan, who also created a score for Sam Warburton, and the ball carrying presence of Cuthbert proved the difference.
Wilson said: “Matthew had an outstanding second-half and it shows how dangerous he can be if we force teams to kick loose to him.
“He can be deadly and we saw that today. We saw why we brought him here and why we see him at full-back.
“In recent weeks we have seen him pick his options far better. There was a time when he was running everything back but he’s done a lot of work with Matt Sherratt in terms of making the right choices.
“His first instinct is to run but we have to make sure there’s a balance in his game and in the last few weeks we’ve seen that.
“I have to mention Alex Cuthbert, he had a superb game, one of the best games I’ve seen him have for a while, especially with the ball. He had a barnstorming carry down the touchline and it was great to see him performing well after working so hard.”
The Blues must wait to discover who they face in the quarter-finals but will be on the road after Bath finished top of the group.
Nonetheless, Wilson was just happy to see his side get over the line after they were made to work hard by a dogged Bristol outfit.
The Cardiff Blues head coach added: “In the end it was a good win against a side we knew could be dangerous coming here and they came here with real intent.
“But a few strong words from a number leaders and coaches at half-time and a message about trying not to overplay, saw us build some sustained pressure, play some good rugby and score some good tries.
“It’ great that we’ve gone a step further than we did last year. Last year we won three out of six in a tough pool and this year we’ve won five from six in another tough pool and that’s a great achievement and step forward for this group.”