Scarlets clinch last-gasp draw
FLY-HALF Dan Jones kicked a last-gasp penalty to secure Scarlets a dramatic draw with Conference B leaders Leinster, who saw Sean O’Brien leave the field injured.
Scarlets were trailing 10-7 and just as the clock went red referee Nigel Owens awarded the home side the key penalty.
Jones put the kick through the posts from 28 metres, and the draw keeps Scarlets three points behind Leinster in Conference B.
After a scoreless first half, Leinster broke through for a try for hooker Ed Byrne and five points from the boot of fly-half Ross Byrne. The Scarlets scored with a try for centre Paul Asquith converted by Jones.
Scarlets were on the defensive from the opening whistle. Fullback Dave Kearney ran back a poor clearance from Jonathan Evans and Leinster set up camp in the home 22.
And the Welsh did well to keep a clean sheet in the first quarter, helped by hooker Bryan Byrne knocking on just as Leinster had a sniff of the try line.
Leinster suffered a blow when captain O’Brien, in his first game since December due to a hip injury, had to go off on 27 minutes with an arm problem.
And two minutes later Scarlets looked like they had made the most of their first visit to the Leinster 22 with Tom Williams stepping inside from the right to go over, but TMO Neil Hennessey stepped in to disallow it for a loss of control in the act of grounding.
The first half finished scoreless, but it took just four minutes of the second to break the deadlock with hooker Byrne getting over after the Irish team had made the most of a scrum inside the Scarlets 22, Ross Byrne converting.
The Scarlets responded positively and went through 19 phases inside the Leinster 22 until scrum-half Jonathan Evans knocked on.
But Scarlets came again with a driving maul. Beirne broke away before Asquith finished well and Evans converted to level at 7-7 on 66 minutes.
Leinster’s loss of the lead only lasted six minutes however as Ross Byrne put over a penalty kick after Scarlets were caught off their feet at a ruck.
Leinster thought they had extended their lead on 75 minutes but Nick McCarthy’s try, following a charge-down, was ruled out by the TMO for offside. If that was not dramatic enough, a try was ruled out for Scarlets’ new signing wing Tom Varndell before Jones’ penalty right at the death. SCARLETS: T Williams; I Nicholas, P Asquith, S Hughes (capt), R Conbeer; D Jones, J Evans; P Price, R Elias, W Kruger; S Cummins, D Bulbring; T Beirne, J MacLeod, W Boyde. Reps: L Rawlins on for Cummins (56), S Gardiner for Kruger (59), T Varndell on for Conbeer (60), D Smith for Evans (69) E Phillips on for Elias (73). Scorers: Tries: Asquith. Con: D Jones. Pen: D Jones LEINSTER: D Kearney; B Daly, R O’Loughlin, N Reid, J Lowe; R Byrne, N McCarthy; E Byrne, B Byrne, M Bent; R Molony, S Fardy; Josh Murphy, S O’Brien (capt), J Conan. Reps: M Deegan for O’Brien (27 mins), M Kearney for Murphy (64), J Tracy for B Byrne (69), A Byrne for Daly (74). Scorers: Tries: E Byrne. Con: R Byrne. Pen: R Byrne Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU).