Captain Liam Belcher hailed the impact of his side’s replacements after the Blue & Blacks produced a stunning late comeback to defeat the Scarlets.

After trailing deep into the second half, Cardiff looked set for defeat before a dramatic final 10 minutes saw them overturn a 24-7 deficit to claim a crucial derby victory. The Scarlets were also reduced to 13 men during that period, with two yellow cards shown as Cardiff continued to build momentum.

“You talk about fight in this squad, and I don’t think you can ever question that, especially after what we showed today,” explained Belcher.

“It probably was the first yellow card for them that caused the shift in momentum. It was a big moment, especially when we got a try from it. But I can’t fault the boys coming off the bench. Talk about impact – every single one of them came into that game and won it for us.”

The result had significant implications in the race for the play-offs, with Cardiff climbing from ninth to seventh place in the standings in a matter of minutes. The late try was also Cardiff’s fourth of the game, securing a valuable bonus point as the season approaches its closing stages.

“We know it’s in our hands now,” Belcher added. “We’ve just got to focus on our games and hopefully we’ll make it. It’s not like last year where we were relying on other results.”

“There are still three games left, so it’s about going game by game and seeing what happens from there.”

Cardiff will now turn their attention to another Welsh derby against the Ospreys on Friday, with the Blue & Blacks looking to build on their momentum in front of a packed-out Cardiff Arms Park.