David Young had the air of a man who had seen a job well done after the Blues’ 18-8 home win over the Dragons.

The director of coaching said, “We were well-beaten twice by the Dragons last season and one of our priorities this season is to improve our record against the other Welsh regions. This was a good start. Once again our scrum was comfortable, we also did well in the lineouts and loose, while our defence stood up to the expected early battering from their forwards close to the set-pieces.”

Young was understandably reluctant to single out individuals in what was essentially a team performance but, when pressed, he admitted that Gethin Jenkins had played outstandingly well in all facets of the game while Lee Thomas had shown exceptional maturity in the second half.

He added, “We needed to step up several gears from our play in Dublin last week and I am happy that the boys did that. This will give us the confidence to build further and we will need to do so witha trip to the Ospreys next weekend.”

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