Liam Belcher has praised Cardiff’s resilience after they came away from Thomond Park with two hard-earned points, despite falling just short against Munster at the weekend.

Despite leading for long periods in Limerick, it looked as though the Blue & Blacks would leave empty-handed as the clock approached red.

But Belcher’s side refused to give up and fought to the bitter end, with Tom Bowen completing his second-half hat-trick to secure two bonus-points.

Reflecting on the performance, Belcher admitted it was a tough contest but believes his team lived up to the fight they had promised in the build-up.

“Yeah, it’s a hard one. I thought we did well and we stuck in the fight that we spoke about through the week,” he said. 

“Obviously we got two points from it which is going to be key at the end of the season. I can’t fault the boys’ effort. 

“I thought we put a performance on. It’s just one or two things that didn’t go our way in the end and it helped them get over the line.”

Despite the narrow defeat, Cardiff’s display suggested belief within the squad that they could have claimed a statement victory.

“We spoke after the Lions game and we were excited about coming here. Thomond is a really great place to play,” Belcher continued. 

“The boys stepped up really well. A few discipline issues cost us some field position, especially in that weather, and to be fair Munster took their chances.”

One of the bright sparks was Bowen, with the 19-year-old impressing after becoming the youngest ever Cardiff player to score a hat-trick in the professional era.

Belcher was quick to highlight his teammate’s impact, while also joking about their contrasting heights.

“He makes me look tall, that’s the best thing about it,” Belcher laughed. “No, he’s an exciting young prospect. The way we play suits his style.” For the second try, Belcher added “Believe it or not, he was standing up when he grounded it. It’s just lucky he’s that short!”.

Looking ahead, Belcher believes Cardiff are building positively on last season’s foundations and can take confidence from their display in Limerick.

“We just want to build on what we did last year. We spoke about fight and enjoyment, and I think we showed a lot of both,” he said. 

“It’s about playing our way, and I thought we played some really nice stuff. It’s encouraging that we can come away to places like this and push them so close. We didn’t get the win, but we got two points-and on another day you win that game.”

Next up is a return to the Arms Park, where Cardiff host Connacht on Sunday, October 11.