The BT Sport Arms Park region clawed their way back to within a converted try of the reigning Guinness PRO12 champions after falling 18 points behind after the break.
They had clinched a losing-bonus point by the time the clock ran dead, but their search for a last-ditch draw ended with them leaving the RDS empty handed. Replacement scrum-half Luke McGrath pounced upon a Blues error in the dying moments of the game to give the Leinstermen a bonus point 37-23 victory.
But Hammett was full of praise for the way his side acquitted themselves at the home of the four-time league winners.
He said: “It hurts to come away without a point when in a lot of ways we were a lot better than them. You could see for yourself the boys worked their butts off. I’m not saying they always work smart, I’m not saying we’ll technically always get it right, but they are throwing the kitchen sink at it. Now we need to add the finesse and some of the shape to it.”
The result condemned the Blues to their third successive league defeat with a second trip to Ireland in as many weeks on the horizon. But Hammett insisted the Cardiff region will band together to get back on the winning track at Connacht on Friday.
He said: “That’s part of being a team, part of being a family. You make mistakes and you put your hands up and you are still part of the family, they still love you! But the reality is we have to make sure we keep working hard, we make amends and put things right.
“The result was a wee bit reflective of our play at the moment in terms of smarts, when to play and when not to.The smart choice would have been to kick the ball out and take a point away in the dying moments.”
