Josh Turnbull insists his side must improve their ball retention if they are to put pressure on opposition defences.
The utility forward skippered Cardiff Blues against his former side, Scarlets, but was left disappointed as the hosts ran away with a 32-12 victory in Llanelli.
Turnbull was pleased with the impact made from the bench, but admits it was too little, too late as his side were left chasing the Scarlets’ comfortable lead.
“It’s a little bit disappointing. We didn’t look after the ball well enough in the first half. We were turned over too easily and they capitalised from that,” said the forward.
“In the second half, we showed glimpses of what we can do when we look after the ball and go through the phases.
“The boys who came off the bench really made an impact but it was too little, too late.
“It was a bit tough to have no crowd in there, and you can hear everything that’s going on. It’s like there’s an echo there.
“It is what it is at the moment, and we have to carry on with that for the time being.
“It’s about sticking to the process and hopefully we’ll be able to get crowds in the stadiums in the near future.”
Turnbull also gave his views on the new laws regarding the breakdown area.
He expects an increased competition for turnovers, which could see jackal specialists such as Olly Robinson and Will Boyde thriving.
“Whether it’s your ball or their ball, if you’re going to compete at the breakdown then you need to be in there pretty sharply,” said the Welsh international.
“On the flip side, when you are carrying the ball, it’s about the speed of support to get there and get over the ball as quickly as possible.
“We know that threat is coming and to be fair, Josh MacLeod deserves credit. He was all over the ball today, and when they can bring someone like Cubby off the bench as well, you know it’s going to be a tough day at the office.
“Will Boyde and Olly really competed hard at the breakdown. Olly had quite a few turnovers today and competed well, while Boydey got a couple in crucial areas, especially the one on our try-line just before half time.
“You have to expect that’s coming now. It’s a big part of the game, and it will cause quite a few teams problems if you can’t transition quickly into defence.”