Captain Liam Belcher spoke of his immense pride in the club’s journey after our United Rugby Championship campaign came to an end with defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town.

The Blue & Blacks battled bravely throughout the contest, but ultimately fell short against the South African side. But the team can hold their heads up high, both after this gutsy performance and an excellent season which saw us reach the URC play-offs for the first time.

Reflecting on the campaign as a whole, Belcher highlighted the significant progress made by the club over the past few years.

“Yeah look, we are extremely proud of the players, the staff and obviously the backroom staff back at Cardiff Arms Park.

“It’s probably been a three-year journey. You think back to the way we were three years ago, there was a shell of a club if I’m being honest, and then look where we are now.

“It’s been a journey and it’s come to a good outcome in the sense of the league, but obviously today we’re very disappointed in the result.”

Cardiff once again demonstrated the fighting spirit that has become a hallmark of the season, repeatedly clawing their way back into the contest. However, Belcher felt the decisive factor ultimately came down to the set piece battle.

“If you limit the entries of any South African team, you’ve got a chance, but when your set piece is letting you down, whether that’s defending mauls or scrums, it is hard.

“That comes off the back of the aerial battle as well. I thought they were outstanding today in the air.

“You look at us back at home, we won the majority of the aerial battle and we get the win, so it was probably a role reversal in terms of when we were at home and when we were away.”

Despite the disappointment of seeing the season end, the skipper believes the experience gained from reaching the play-offs can provide a platform for further growth.

“We lost one game at home all year, so we’ve established that and that’s what we wanted to establish.

“I think you look at the top teams, they go away and win. They win a few games away every year.

“Everyone is comfortable at home, you know your surroundings. The journey we need to go on now is can we go away and win?

“And that’s going to be the big one next season.”