Man of the Match Turnbull says victory will boost youngsters confidence

Scarlets’ captain and Man of the Match against Gloucester flanker Josh Turnbull was delighted with the victory over Gloucester in the third round of the LV= Cup despite poor conditions.

The only centurion in the new-look side that took on Gloucester, Turnbull was the most experienced player on the field and gave a solid ball carrying performance that won him the Man of the Match accolade.

The home side headed into the changing room with a 5-0 lead after a first regional try for centre Steffan Hughes who was making his home debut at Parc y Scarlets.

Gloucester hit back in the second half with a converted try putting them in the lead but the Scarlets grinded out the victory with Josh Lewis adding a penalty and Aaron Warren crossing for a second try of the evening.

Turnbull said: “Conditions played a massive factor in the game today, we didn’t play for as long as we wanted in the areas of the field that we wanted to play and spent a lot of time in their half.”

Amongst Turnbull’s merry men was debutant prop Wyn Jones showing the region’s commitment to developing the next generation of Scarlets players.

Turnbull went on to say: “We’ve always used the LV= Cup as a competition to breed younger players. I remember when I was coming through that’s where I got my chance to play some rugby.

“The young guys shouldn’t be nervous and should grab the opportunity with both hands.

“They can look forward to next week’s challenge and build on their confidence after today’s W.

Scarlets take on London Irish in the fourth and final group stage of the competition with an opportunity to top their group and knock Northampton Saints off the top spot.

” We have to concentrate on ourselves and not worry about what’s going on elsewhere. We have to go up to London Irish, get a W and take care of our own game.”