John Mulvihill has called on Cardiff Blues to produce at 80-minute performance to ensure they kick-off their Guinness PRO14 season on a winning note against Southern Kings on Saturday.
Wales’ Capital Region arrived in Cape Town on Sunday to enjoy a full week of preparation for the season opener and Mulvihill has been pleased with what he has seen.
Training at Western Province’s Belville Training ground, used by the Stormers, the Blues have been thoroughly put through their paces before jetting to Port Elizabeth on Friday.
Mulvihill said: “It’s been really good. We got down here on Sunday morning and to the credit of the players they immediately got on the bus and went down to Camps Bay where we did our recovery.
“Monday morning was all about meetings to get ourselves right and then into a clarity session.
“We banged out a really good session this morning. High quality, high intensity and we hit all the numbers and met all of our targets, and we have another big training day on Thursday.
“It’s a nice change. We have some really good facilities at home but being over here narrows the focus and the boys have been really switched on.
“We’ve been at our best when we have trained 15 on 15 so we had eight Western Province academy boys come in to run some of the Kings plays against us. It’s really helpful in our preparations to get things right on Saturday.
“We all know what happened at the beginning of last year and we’ve put that behind us, we have to make sure we finish this game off really well.
“From start to finish we have to be switched on. They are a dangerous team if you let them play so we need to smother them with our defence and be really smart in how we use the ball.”
Mulvihill has warned his charges to expect the unexpected against the Kings, who are willing to attack from everywhere.
“They are unpredictable, they will run the ball from anywhere, so we need to make sure our kicks either go out or they are pressured.
“We have to be consistent in everything we do. Our set-piece has improved in the off-season and we’re looking to use the full 70 metres across the field, a good kicking game and mix up that run, kick pass balance.”
Following Saturday’s encounter in Port Elizabeth, Cardiff Blues return to Wales and host Edinburgh at the Arms Park on Saturday, October 5 (5.15pm). Tickets are available now by calling 029 20 302030 or clicking here.