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Anscombe striving for continued improvement

15th September 2016


Gareth Anscombe insists his best is yet to come in a Cardiff Blues jersey.

The 25-year-old is entering his second full season with Wales’ Capital Region and is doing so on the back of a proper pre-season.

That has not been the case previously due to his arrival from New Zealand in November, 2014 and then his involvement in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

But now he is reaping the physical benefits of extended preparations with the Blues and is hopeful it will transfer into performances at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park.

“It’s nice to finally come into the season feeling fresh. It’s been great to have a break and a chance to get the body right. I hope it pays dividends.

“When you are feeling mentally fresh, you probably play with a bit more energy about you. Hopefully I can do that with my actions over the next four or five weeks.

“It’s just been nice to start with the group. Usually I have to play a bit of catch-up.

“My body is feeling good for once and everything has gone pretty well.

“It’s just a good chance now for me to put a string of performances together over the next few weeks and hopefully get this team going in the right direction.

“I am still feeling a little bit rusty, but I had my first start last weekend and I can build on that this week.

“As a fly-half, you’ve got to drive things. It’s just nice to be back out on the park and contributing to the club.”

Anscombe came off the bench in the bonus-point victory over Edinburgh and pulled on the number 10 jersey in the 24-23 victory over Munster in Ireland.

With two wins from the opening two Guinness PRO12 fixtures the squad are on a high but Anscombe knows they cannot afford to get ahead of themselves. 

Instead he is focused on continued improvement and he expects Glasgow Warriors to present a formidable challenge.

He added: “There is a good feeling in the camp at the moment and we’ve made a really good start to the campaign so far.

“It was a really good performance away from home on the weekend to get the job done, which we have struggled in the past to do.

 “But we won’t get too caught up in it or carried away at this stage. We know we are just two games in and it’s a long season. 

“We will find out where we are come Friday night. Glasgow have been the top team in this competition for the last couple of years. 

“They have been pretty consistent and the way they have started their campaign has been very impressive, putting 40 on Connacht away from home and taking care of Leinster.

“They play a really good brand of rugby. They have got threats right across the park. If we kick loosely to them, I am sure they are going to make us pay for it.

“It’s going to be a huge challenge, but there’s a little bit of confidence in the camp at the moment. It’s exciting and hopefully the crowd come out and watch.”

Buy tickets for Cardiff Blues v Glasgow on Friday, September 16 (7pm kick-off) by clicking here.