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Hammer pleased to bag a bonus in Italy

25th October 2014


Director of Rugby Mark Hammett praised a professional performance from his Cardiff Blues as they secured a 33-18 win over Femi-CZ Rugby Rovigo in Italy.

Tries from Gethin Jenkins (2), Josh Turnbull, Manoa Vosawai and Macauley Cook wrapped up maximum points for Blues over a stubborn and fired-up home side.

And Hammer believes his team can take satisfaction from a job done as they now turn their attention back to the domestic arena.

“This is difficult place to come and play and we were fully aware of that,” he said. “We had a few interesting calls against us and often playing a team that doesn’t have a lot of strategy but has a lot of passion can be difficult.

“But we came with a good driving game and our lineout and driving maul was probably the thing that broke them down and took the legs out of them.

“We take the positives and we managed to blood some young boys and give others a break and to come away with a bonus point win was important.

“We could have played better but I thought Kristian Dacey continued to show up what a good ball carrier he is,” he added. “He just needs to continue to work hard on set piece and he can become a top class hooker.

“You often don’t get much off the referees in games like this and that was good for us, I see that as a positive. We will be better for that experience.”

Blues next up face London Irish in a double header over December and, with both teams unbeaten in Pool 2, Hammer predicted a pre-Christmas cracker.

“The London Irish games will be big,” he added. “I don’t think neither of us are kidding ourselves about the competition we’ve faced to date. But they will be big games and will give us a really good indication of where we are at.

“We have got a series of games before that, but when Europe rolls around again those games will be fantastic.”