Brad Thyer is braced for a typically hostile welcome to the Kingspan Stadium on Friday, as Cardiff Blues return to Guinness PRO14 action against Ulster.
Wales’ Capital Region will be seeking a first victory since 2010 at Belfast, as they look for a response following back-to-back defeats to Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors.
The prop is expecting a fiery affair in the Northern Irish capital, but believes his side can use the occasion to their advantage.
“I’ve never played up in Ulster before, but I’ve obviously watched enough of it on the television to hear the atmosphere and the noise the crowd makes,” said Thyer.
“They’re a tough team to face when you’re at home, but to play out there will be a challenge in itself and it will no doubt be a physical 80 minutes for us.
“We love a full house at Cardiff Arms Park, so to get a lively crowd - whether that’s for you or against you - will get us going.
“It’s about creating your own atmosphere in the build up, especially as a pack, and that will get you going more, as it has that confrontational edge as well.
“It will be physical, and they’ve had that edge to them for years. It’s up to us to match up to them.
“I don’t think the weather is looking great at the moment so it could be one of those nights where it’s about the hard yards in the tight, if all goes as forecasted.
“We’ll stick to our game and I’m sure they’ll be sticking to what they know as well.
“We’ve had three away games in the first four games of the season, so it’s not going to be as easy to get going compared to if that run was at home.
“But every game is important and you need to be picking up points in every single game.
“With the squads being as they are during the World Cup, we’re in a good position to take some points and try to take advantage of the teams who have lost a few more international players than ourselves.”
Thyer has been part of a front row effort in the opening three rounds of action, which has seen the Blues maintain a 100 per cent success rate on their own ball at scrum time.
Led by scrum coach, Duane Goodfield, the front row unit have been fully committed to the Cardiff Blues Scrum Club.
The Scrum Club sees the squad’s props and hookers combine to prepare for the task ahead in the scrums in a player-led effort, and is sponsored by Rhys Gill’s Stores 4 Floors.
Thyer has been pleased with the progress made at the set piece, and believes the Scrum Club has played its part in the early-season success.
The prop added: “It’s been positive from the front row perspective. The set piece has been working well and we’ve made a few changes following the rule changes and adapted well to that.
“We’ve had a good buy-in from the back five, which can’t always be relied on because they’ve got other things to be worried about to be fair to them.
“But fair play they’ve stuck with us and we’ve come out alright so far.
“With the Scrum Club, we’ve had a few meetings which are a mix of formal and informal.
“There are boys like Gilly [Rhys Gill] and Dima [Dmirti Arhip] who have been around for years, and you’ve also got the younger boys in there as well.
“We spend a bit of time each week with sub-meetings to look at the opposition scrum for the weekend, and a pair of boys will present for 10 minutes to brief to the rest of the pack regarding key focus points for that week’s scrum.
“It’s been going well so far so we’ll stick with it.
“As a unit, we like our off-the-field ventures to bond, whether that’s coffee or food, and it’s an excuse to get away from the backs, so it’s quite nice!”