Captain Josh McNally reflected on a battling performance from the team following a 21-14 defeat to Ulster at Affidea Stadium, leaving the Blue and Blacks with a hard-earned losing bonus point.

“I think in the first half we defended for a long time. There was a lot of fighting and a lot of scrap. We didn’t execute in a few areas, but we came out in the second half and really felt like we put them under pressure.

“Maybe we left a couple out there and we were fighting right until the last few minutes to get something out of the game. They played extremely well and we scrapped to stay in it, maybe could have snuck something at the end.

“We’ll probably look back in a few months and think getting a point away here might be quite costly. We’re disappointed, but the growth of the group is coming and there was a lot of fight today.”

Ulster’s unbeaten record at home this season made the challenge even tougher, but McNally emphasised the positives from the squad’s performance and the opportunities for younger players to gain experience.

“We looked at it at the start of the week and we want to keep pushing that mission of winning outside of Wales, fighting for opportunities in challenging away games in the URC.

“When you look at the squad that finished the game, Elijah coming in, the under-20 boys, Lucas De La Rue coming on, Joe Cowell, we’re starting to test the depth of the squad and boys are putting their hand up.

“This is a short-term fix, but over a long period of time we’re going to start to grow and these boys are going to benefit from that.”

With a short break ahead now during the first few international fixtures, attention now turns to rest, recovery and preparation for the next challenge.

“We’re going to get away from the club, rest and cheer the boys on in the national camp. In a few weeks we’ll come back and look ahead to Leinster. I think we’re in a really good spot midway through the year and we’re looking to keep building and moving forward.”

Cardiff will next return to the pitch against Leinster under the lights at the Cardiff Arms Park on Friday 27th February (7pm KO).