Corniel van Zyl was pleased to see Cardiff get back to winning ways in style as they put one foot in the knockout stages of the European Challenge Cup.
The Blue & Blacks trailed to Racing 92 at half-time despite a stunning finish from Tom Bowen and a Rory Thornton try from close range.
But they dominated the second-half at a packed Cardiff Arms Park with Keiron Assiratti powering over and Callum Sheedy keeping the scoreboard ticking.
The home side eased to victory and made it a maximum points haul as man-of-the-match Ben Thomas combined with equally impressive Cornel Smit for the all-important fourth try.
Van Zyl said: “I’m very happy. With Belcher’s 100th game, a few boys coming back from injury… look after the derbies it just felt like we were a little bit cramped in with a little bit of pressure, whereas tonight it just felt like the boys went out to play and enjoyed it.
“We focused on the stuff that made us play well at the beginning of the season. After the derbies, we went back and said, “Look, let’s just focus on what made us play well.
“That’s easier to do against a French team you don’t really know. So we focused on what we do and tried to put it on the field.
“The impact of the bench was really positive. We freshened it up. The derbies was almost the same group for a few games, which I said the other day. But we need to use the squad. We can’t just keep playing the same players. That’s why we have a squad. They performed well.”
Cardiff can qualify for the Round of 16 tomorrow, should Toyota Cheetahs claim a bonus-point upset against Ulster. And they could even still sneak a home draw if other results go their way and they pick up points against in-form Exeter Chiefs.
But the fixtures are coming thick and fast with a crucial home encounter against Benetton Rugby at the Arms Park the following week in the BKT United Rugby Championship.
Van Zyl added: “There are still a few games to happen tomorrow. We’ll take (Exeter) as a challenge. It will be a challenge because we know how good they’ve been this season. We’ll refocus on Monday and Tuesday because we play Sunday, and then see what happens on the day.
“We’ll have to get the selection right to make sure we keep the boys fresh then with Benetton, which will be short turnaround from Sunday to Saturday.
“We can look at all the ways the log might end up, but it’s just a game of rugby. We need to go out, perform, and see what happens at the end of the day.”
Cardiff Rugby face Benetton Rugby on Saturday, January 24 (19:45) and tickets are available now. It is also a double header with Cardiff RFC!