Head Coach Danny Wilson admitted he was pleased with the debut of powerhouse prop Salesi Ma'afu in the Guinness PRO12 victory over Edinburgh Rugby - and insists the front row giant will now only get better!
Ma’afu joined Cardiff Blues in late December and the former Australian international – who won 14 international caps for the Wallabies – made his long-awaited debut in the fixture with Scottish high-fliers Edinburgh.
The former Northampton Saints, ACT Brumbies and Western Force front rower played just under 50 minutes and was solid in the set piece and unloaded some big tackles in the loose.
Ma’afu was greeted with appreciative cheers from the home fans when he departed the action at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park and Wilson is now keen to see his prop get even better with more match action.
He said: “It was always the plan to give him (Salesi) 40 minutes or so minutes. It was good for him to get out there after such a long time out of rugby and now we just need to get him back on the bike.
“It was great to see him out there making the collisions we all know he’s capable of.
“Now it will be great for him to get a run of games under his belt to get back to the levels we have seen in the past.”