It was a sixth straight win for the Blues over their tricky, Irish rivals and was achieved without any of their current internationals in the starting line-up.

All the Blues points came in the first half as they built a 13-0 lead. They weathered the early storm and were glad to see Miah Niokora spray two penalty attempts wide of the posts.

In between, the visitors enjoyed a purple patch of 10 minutes in which they grabbed those 13 points to take firm control. Ceri Sweeney kicked two penalties and then converted a try by his half-back partner Lewis Jones after half-an-hour.

Nikora's second miss on the stroke of half-time left the Blues with a handy advantage, but they failed to add to their tally in the second half. Nikora found his range after the break and three penalties without reply cut the gap to a mere four points as the game headed into the final 10 minutes.

But the Blues were able to hang on to notch a win and give Davies something to smile about. The four points also came at the end of a day in which it was announced Wales wing Harry Robinson had signed a senior contract with the Arms Park club

Given all the problems the Blues had the previous season with Alex Cuthbert, Davies will have been delighted to have secured the long-term services of the 19-year-old Robinson.

"I'm very excited that Harry has signed his first professional contract with the Blues. Having worked with him here for the last couple of weeks I can see that he is a player with massive potential," said Davies.

Scorers: Connacht: Pens: M Nikora 3; Cardiff Blues: Try: L Jones; Con: C Sweeney; Pens: C Sweeney 2.