Praise for Kings from Scarlets coach
THERE has been a timely word of encouragement for the Southern Kings after their heavy 57-10 defeat against the Scarlets in their Pro14 debut.
The Kings leaked 42 unanswered second-half points after holding their own against the champions in the opening half of fast-paced showdown in Llanelli.
Despite his team’s big win, Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac said the Kings had been a handful in the first half when his team could only build a 15-10 lead.
That first-half display by the Kings included a try by speedster Yaw Penxe after a clever kick from flyhalf Kurt Coleman.
“You can see the Kings have a lot of talent. They ran strongly into contact and were a handful,” Pivac said.
“We stood off them a bit in the first half and paid the price.
“We addressed that at half-time and in the second half we were also far more patient with the ball.
“We tried to force too much in the first half, looking for the miracle ball and trying to score from nothing.
“Our pass accuracy was much better in the second half.”
The Scarlets lost their first three matches last season before embarking on a winning streak that saw them lift the trophy in Dublin.
“It is certainly a better start than last season and that is what we have been targeting for these first three games,” Pivac said.
Wales and British Lions fullback Leigh Halfpenny, a summer signing from Toulon, claimed one of the Scarlets' eight tries.
“Leigh loved it out there,” Pivac said.
“He scored a try and got his hands on the ball a hell of a lot. He will be much better for that.”
The Kings are now in Galway preparing for their second game, against Connacht on Saturday.
The Kings medical staff said they had no serious injuries to report after the Scarlets clash.
Meanwhile, Cheetahs coach Rory Duncan remained upbeat despite seeing his team lose 42-19 and conceding six tries to Ulster on their introduction to Pro14.
“It was an experience getting the first game out of the way,” Duncan said. “Obviously, the end result was not quite what we wanted. Still, it’s great to be part of this competition.”
Duncan said the Cheetahs’ discipline had let them down, with Henco Venter and Johan Coetzee yellow-carded.
“We conceded some tries during the yellow card period of time which put us under pressure. Obviously it’s not ideal playing with 14 men for 20 minutes in the game, but that’s also part of the sport.
“I think Ulster played really well so hats off to them, they had a really good game.”
The Free Staters play Munster in their second game on Saturday.