Head coach Matt Sherratt was delighted for Cardiff’s players and supporters that they were able to secure a victory after several near misses.
The Blue and Blacks ran in five tries during their 14-36 win over The Sharks in Durban, which was their first since the Boxing Day derby against Dragons.
Cardiff have played exciting rugby throughout the campaign, however have fallen just short after Christmas, which included ‘heartbreaking’ back-to-back-to back bonus point losses on the road to Glasgow, Munster and Ulster.
Sherratt praised his side’s defence early on in the game, which set the foundations for the performance and then their ruthlessness in attack when entering the Sharks’ 22.
“Tonight was one of those really where the result was more important than the performance,” said Sherratt.
“We were a little bit disappointed with last week in terms of how the game got away from us from about 70 minutes.
“I think the platform was laid in the first 20 minutes where defensively I thought we were excellent.
“The Sharks actually started really brightly, had a lot of possession. Josh Adams got a massive turnover on our own line and then we were pretty ruthless when we got into the 22 and that killed them off a little bit but with how they started for a team that's obviously probably had limited amount of prep I thought they looked pretty dangerous.
“A lot of credit to Gethin Jenkins in terms of our defence and the players in terms of the spirit and the resilience they've shown all season really.
“First half it wasn't a game where there was lots and lots of phases but we knew that before the game where we felt our pack could get on top and you saw that in the scrum from zero to 80 minutes and our driving line-up was pretty good.
“If you add a decent defence to that and some effort, you've got a foundation for a performance and as I said, when we got in the 22, we got points.
“I'm just really pleased with the players. It's been obviously disappointing with some of the late losses and people can say it's a mixed Sharks team, but to come to South Africa and get a bonus point win is good for whoever you're playing.
“There's some good players on that pitch. I was confident, genuinely, that the players, whoever we played, would give us a result.
“It's twice we've come over here now and put in decent performances. We actually showed a lot of clips from last year in terms of some of our efforts and our kick chases and we challenged the players to do the same again and as I said I'm delighted for the players, they deserve a win.
“We've had some heartbreakers this year and I'm delighted for our supporters as well.
“You know you could see it meant a lot to the players with how they performed especially in the first half and it's a pretty happy changing room now so I think I'll probably have a couple of beers tonight and be a bit groggy on the flight home.”