A controlled and disciplined second half performance was the key to Cardiff Blues’ victory over Dragons on Boxing Day, according to Josh Turnbull.
The experienced forward - who made his 197th Guinness PRO14 appearance in Newport - crossed for a crucial second half try at Rodney Parade as John Mulvihill’s side secured a narrow 13-12 win.
The hosts went into the break with the lead, but Turnbull was proud to see his side turn their fortunes around after the interval.
“It probably wasn’t too pleasant to watch but we weathered the storm in the first half. Ill-discipline cost us at times and they kept coming, and it’s just compounding error,” said the Welsh international.
“But we knew with the weather that if we stuck in it in the second half, it was probably a nine point game and we could come back into it.
“We used our kicking game to good effect in the second half and tried to keep the ball down in their half as much as possible and put the pressure on them.
“We were able to stay down in their half, and in the 22 especially, and keep the pressure on. That was important because it came to a point where we were either going to score a try or they were going to be shown a yellow card.
“We took the try and it was a good team effort in the end to come away with that win.
“It’s tough when you’re in and amongst it, but as a pack, we weathered that storm in the first half.
“To be fair, Jim [Botham] put in some big numbers in there today with his carrying and tackling. It was a shame to lose Cory Hill so early and someone like Dacey is reliable every week.
“In the second half, we came out on top at scrum time and I thought that was one of our strengths. We were able to compound them with errors and march up the field.”
Cardiff Blues’ festive fixtures continue as they take on Ospreys on New Year’s Day.
Toby Booth’s side suffered a narrow Boxing Day defeat to arch rivals Scarlets, having gone into the clash on the back of three consecutive victories.
Turnbull admits he relishes the intensity of a derby match as he hopes his side can build on their Rodney Parade victory.
The utility forward added: “It’s a great time to watch all these derbies. You’re playing against all your mates and the south Wales corridor is pretty narrow.
“You drive past them every day on your way to training but when you’re playing against your mates, that’s when the intensity levels shoot up and you want to get involved.
“These games are perfect to do that.
“Ospreys have had a couple of good results recently, and the Toby Booth effect is starting to take off.
“Hopefully it stops next week when we see them, but we’ll just worry about ourselves in our training days between now and then.”