Danny Wilson has told his Cardiff Blues they must become more ruthless if they are to beat the best in the Guinness Pro12.
The Blues lost for the first time this season when they went down 16-13 to Leinster at the Arms Park on Saturday night.
The result leaves the Blues in fourth place in the table, with three of the four Irish regions – Ulster, Munster and Leinster – now occupying the top three places, although only Ulster, who beat the Ospreys, 9-7, remain unbeaten.
Blues head coach Wilson said: “It wasn’t about our effort. It was about us not being as clinical as we have been.
“We did not put enough points on the board against a very good defence. Some our attacking game wasn’t good enough and we became a bit scrappy and easy to defend against.
“It’s a bitter pill to swallow because we were extremely competitive. We created enough opportunities, but we didn’t finish enough of them.
“I thought a number of decisions went against us, but I’ve told the players they have got to take that away from being the important factor. We can’t be reliant on decisions. We have to finish off the opposition.”
The Blues had Josh Navidi sent to the sin bin in the late stages and also lost four players through injury, including Wales skipper Sam Warburton after a clash of heads.
The Blues flanker will be assessed for concussion and could miss next week’s Welsh derby against the Ospreys.
But Wilson still felt the Blues should have preserved their unbeaten start to the season, having set high standards – especially at home – that he is determined to maintain.
“We are still where we need to be in terms of performance. It was a lack of finishing ability, but we had the hunger and the determination.
“Leinster is always a tough game of rugby, but it shows where we have come from that we always now expect to win at home.
“We are not accepting it or taking it in the chin. We expect to win here.”
