Scarlets v Connacht Match Report

Maximum league points but plenty of work to do after home win

12 September 2010, 9:11 pm

By Scarlets

 

Scarlets Centre Jon Davies scores a try against Connacht

Huw Evans Agency

The Scarlets come out of their first home game buoyed by the fact they secured maximum points at home but with plenty to work on in the coming week.

 

A home win was crucial in the second game of the season in front of a vocal and expectant home crowd.

And the enjoyment and value of a home win was shared by players and supporters alike. The crowd were kept on the edge of their seats until the final whistle blew on a dramatic and entertaining afternoon of rugby at Parc y Scarlets with a 35-33 victory for the Scarlets over Connacht.

The energetic home crowd’s support in the tense last minutes of the game helped keep spirits high and lift the team for the crucial final play – which was sealed by Sean Lamont’s winning try in the seventh minute of injury time and with it smiles and a collective sigh of relief across the stadium.

A five point win helps the Scarlets get back on track but the style of the win was not one that impressed the coaching set-up at Parc y Scarlets.

Head Coach Nigel Davies said: “The result is great for us but the performance is not at the level we expected. We did a lot of good things when we had the ball in terms of creating opportunities but we were very loose and so inaccurate with our basic skills that we turned over 50% of our chances and that is not good enough going forward.

“A bonus point win was our aim, and we are all pleased with that and the mistakes we were making are simple to put right. If we can get rid of these basic errors, there is plenty about us.

“This result will give us confidence going into the next game. It’s always a lot easier to progress and learn when you have won a game.

“The last try of the game was when we were under the most pressure and when we also showed the most composure – and from that point of view it was pleasing to see us seal a win. I thought the substitutions made a real impact on the game and made the difference at the end.

“That’s a turn of the tables compared with a similar game last year when Munster beat us in the dying minutes in our second game of the season. So that’s encouraging.

“We kept getting the messages on the field that we just needed to hold onto the ball and go through the phases and I felt if we did we would score.

“There was a certain amount of nervousness, everybody is working really hard to turn things around here and I sensed at times we rushed – there was a little bit of panic and that just added to the errors. At times we were just striking too early in the phases.

“However, what was positive was that we were in double figures in terms of line-breaks. We just need to show composure for longer stretches of the game and convert opportunities we get.

“There is a lot of work to do but at least we are doing that on the back of a bonus point win.”

Double try scorer, Wales and Scarlets centre Jon Davies said the players know what they have to do this week in training.

“It’s encouraging that we created a lot of chances but the errors were really costly. I bombed a couple of chances, which is disappointing, but overall I think the boys are looking in good shape and it’s a pretty exciting the style of rugby that we are trying to play.

“We’ll be tough and clinical in training this week and work hard to make sure these errors don’t creep in again. We just need to get some more composure on the ball.

“We need to get better at the transition between attack and defence – if you switch off for that split second, you can get caught.

“But the main thing was getting the result, it was a tough game and last year we lost so many games like that by a few points and didn’t finish off. Yes it wasn’t in the fashion we wanted to get a win in but you have to take care of the result first. I really think we showed we can play some pretty good rugby in parts – that’s got to be encouraging moving forward.”

“It’s helped get our season back on track and at the end of the season, you look at how many wins you get.”

And the rising star centre from Laugharne says is thoroughly enjoying building an exciting field partnership with Scarlets legend Regan King.

He said: “It’s great to play with Reggie, he’s one of the best centres in the world, he puts me into the gaps and I just run straight and do as much as I can. He is world-class and its good to see him back fully fit.

“For me, I’m just really excited about being back into the season now and there is a good feeling in this squad at the moment with the players we’ve got.”

After the weekends rugby results, the Scarlets are mid table – sitting in 6th position in the Magners League with six points.