Dai Young has warned that Cardiff must be at the very top of their game when they travel to Treviso for Saturday’s Challenge Cup quarter final.

The Blue and Blacks booked their place in the final eight after coming out on top in a thrilling Round of 16 clash against Sale Sharks last week.

But Young is fully aware of the threats posed by a strong Benetton outfit who have already toppled the likes of Ulster, Glasgow, Scarlets, Connacht and Stade Francais at home this season.

“If you look at some of the wins they’ve had at home, they’ve beaten some of the best teams there. They’re a quality team and we know that to our cost last year, where we went out there and got our pants pulled down,” explains the Director of Rugby.

“They’re a fantastic team who play some great running rugby and we’ve got to make sure we’re somewhere near our best. If we’re not then we don’t win – it’s as simple as that.

“Last year’s loss has got to hurt a little bit, because if not then we’re in the wrong game. We’ve looked at those areas we didn’t get right and the areas we need to get right.

“But that game was as much about us as it was about them. It was certainly a game too far for us and we went there and didn’t compete in any area. We were second best and looked a team that was low on energy and it was a game too far.

“That’s not the case this season, going into it now, but we know we’re going to have to be at our best because they play really good rugby. If you’re not on your mettle defensively, if you don’t win collisions, if you don’t win the gain-line and they start getting quick ball, then they can throw it about and score tries. They’re scored a lot of tries at home.”

Young also believes there is plenty of motivation heading into Saturday’s encounter, as the squad target a third European crown for the club.

The former Wales prop added: “The big thing we’ve talked about this week is that unfortunately right across the regions, there’s lot of boys that are moving on and Cardiff is no different. A lot of these players have been together for a long time, so there’s a lot of emotion there.

“They want to try and do something together and this is probably the last opportunity this current group has to try and achieve something.

“You’ve got a little bit of fear factor as well, which is important in rugby. That comes from knowing that if we don’t play like we can play, we’ll come second best by a big margin and we experienced that in Treviso last year.”

Reflecting on the win over English outfit Sale Sharks, Young was delighted to see his side paying fitting tribute to the late Peter Thomas on a special evening at the Arms Park.

Young said: “Friday was a bit of a one-off with the passing of Peter, but I’d like to think there’s enough desire and drive in this team to get a performance somewhere near that again.

“It was a fantastic evening from the start. From before the game with the mark of respect for Peter to the crowd, who I thought were absolutely fantastic. The way they got behind the team and the atmosphere they created was fantastic.

“Right across the board, it was a top performance by every one of our players. They gave everything. I was really pleased for our coaches, who had put a game plan together to unpick Sale.

“I was really proud of everyone. It was a fantastic night.”