A final flourish by Connacht made for a tense closing sequence to Scarlets’ four try bonus point win under blue skies at Parc y Scarlets keeping them in the top six mix with only four games remaining.
An eight-try romp in glorious Spring sunshine at Parc y Scarlets ensured an action-packed and nail-biting 80 minutes of rugby for supporters, coaches and players alike!
Flanker Josh Turnbull crossed for Scarlets’ third try in a counter attack started on Scarlets’ try line by Liam Williams, supported by Rhys Priestland and Kristian Phillips before getting the ball out to Turnbull who cantered over the line!
Despite a 25-11 lead at the hour mark Connacht made a valiant and determined fight back scoring 19 points in the final quarter to put the homeside under real pressure.
Scarlets’ Josh Turnbull said: “We dug deep in the end. It was a little frustrating defensively at times but we were much better in attack than we have been for a while.
“We didn’t want to get into that 7s kind of game. I know the weather was good but we wanted to keep things a little bit tighter and more structured before we let it go a little bit loose.
“We didn’t want to concede anything at the end but we were probably all frustrated that we hadn’t got away from them as much as we should have.”
With a top four finish seemingly out of Scarlets grasp a victory over Connacht was vital to keep the top six campaign alive and to keep the Irish province at bay in 7th position.
Turnbull went on to say: “Whether we can make the play-offs if other results go our way that’s another question but we have to aim for the sixth spot which is in our control.
“We have four games left, three of those are at home. Rob (McCusker) said a couple of weeks ago ‘it’s backs against the wall’ and nothing other than a win will do every week. That’s what we have to concentrate on, make sure that our house is in order and keep working hard.”
As Turnbull’s time with the Scarlets comes to end he re-iterated his commitment to the region: “I’m fully committed to the Scarlets until the end of the season. It’s the club I respect and I’ve been here since I was 16. I want to help them finish as high up the table as possible. Next season is next season. It’s all about the Scarlets right now.”
Scarlets will be back in action at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday 12th April, kick-off 6.30pm when they take on Italian side Zebre.
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