Taine Basham continued his impressive run of form as Cardiff Rugby opened their URC campaign with a hard-fought East v West derby victory at Parc y Scarlets.

The powerful back-row forward was named Player of the Match after producing another influential display, including a close-range try as he drove through multiple defenders to give Cardiff a crucial score.

Basham joined Cardiff ahead of last season and finished the campaign in a rich vein of form, and the 26-year-old showed signs of carrying that momentum into the new season with a typically physical performance.

While Cardiff were pleased to leave Llanelli with four points, Basham admitted the performance itself fell short of the standards the squad had set.

“I’d say we weren’t exactly pleased with our performance, but we’re pleased with the result,” said Basham.

“You come down here and want the players excited and playing good rugby, but unfortunately with it being a derby, it didn’t quite work out like that.

“But the sign of a good team is to play each game, stay in it and get a result. So we can’t complain with four points away from home.”

With a number of Cardiff’s international players given additional rest following their summer involvement with Wales, the squad had limited time together ahead of the opening game. Many combinations across the park had played one half of rugby or less together before Saturday night, while the wet conditions at Parc y Scarlets provided another challenge.

“Many of us boys have played a total of 40 minutes together before today, against Exeter last week, and coming down onto a wet grass pitch didn’t make it easy,”

“But it’s not an excuse. We need to be better and the most exciting thing is we’re at Cardiff Arms Park next Friday against Zebre and we can put those wrongs right.”

Basham’s try was a further reminder of the ball-carrying threat that has become such an important part of his game since arriving in the Welsh capital.

The forward believes he has continued to develop since joining Cardiff and is relishing the opportunity to play with freedom in the back row.

“Yeah, it’s been great, just really just kicking on from the end of last season,” he said.

“Still working on things I need to work on, there’s a free licence for me to go out and use my ball-carrying abilities right now, and hopefully that carries on.”

The result sets Cardiff up for their first home match of the new URC campaign, with Zebre Parma visiting Cardiff Arms Park next Friday night.

After experiencing the atmosphere at the CAP during pre-season, Basham is relishing the prospect of playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in a competitive fixture this season.

“Yeah, I can’t wait,” he said.

“There was a good buzz against Exeter in pre-season. We ran them really close, it was a really good performance.

“And Friday night at the CAP is one of the best things any Cardiff player can experience, so we’re all really looking forward to it.”