Kristian Dacey has set his sights on a "massive" European Challenge Cup clash with Toulouse and called on the Cardiff Blues faithful to pack the Arms Park following a frustrating loss to the Ospreys.
A 25-minute period proved costly for the Blues in Guinness PRO14 action at the Liberty Stadium and they fell a point short despite an impressive fightback.
But they now turn attention to the Challenge Cup and a potential spot in the quarter-finals.
Following three wins out of four, including an historic triumph at the Stade Ernest Wallon, the Blues sit top of Pool 2 and another victory over the four-time former Heineken Cup winners could be enough to secure a place in the knockout stages with a game to spare.
And Dacey, who captained the Blues on that famous October evening, is gunning for another victory and is hoping for a bumper crowd following the 11,700 New Year’s Eve sell out against the Scarlets.
Dacey said: “It’s massive. We have a massive chance to go through to the quarters and hopefully we can get a big crowd at Cardiff Arms Park and really get back on track.
“It’s massive for the boys when you run out and it is rammed, it gives you that extra percent that you need in this day and age of sport. Hopefully we will get everyone there and put on a performance for everyone.
“It’s a chance for us to get through to the quarters and hopefully something we can get out of the season. Obviously we’re still going to work as hard as we can in the league to getin those play-offs but it’s another focus on something we can win.”
For the second week in a row the Blues slipped to a slender, one-score defeat in a derby encounter they probably should have won.
Dacey admits the Liberty Stadium loss was tough to take but he insists they must take the positives from the festive period and can go into their European day of destiny with confidence.
He added: “It’s disappointing. To come here and come so close is something we haven’t done for a long time.
“We said in the week we could come here and get the W but unfortunately there were a few errors out on the field and they cost us in the end – they scored three tries from our errors. We have to go back and look at ourselves and hopefully we can put it right next week.
“The way we fought back just shows the confidence we have within the team. No matter how far behind we are we always think we can win games but it just wasn’t to be.
“Even going into those last two or three minutes when they had a lineout on our line, we knew if we could get the ball anything could happen. We stayed in the fight until the end but unfortunately we came up short.
“It’s hard to take a one-point loss but we have come here and taken a point out of it for the league and we have to take the positives from it.”
Cardiff Blues take on Toulouse at Cardiff Arms Park on Sunday, January 14 (5.30pm). The Blues currently sit top of Pool 2 in the European Challenge Cup and a victory against the French giants could secure a place in the quarter-finals with a game to spare. Call 029 20 302030 or click here to secure your tickets today!