PEEL DELIGHT AS BULLS SEEN OFF
DWAYNE Peel was full of praise for his Scarlets side after they held off the Bulls on Friday night.
The West Wales region held off a fierce comeback from the South Africans to clinch maximum points in their United Rugby Championship clash at Parc y Scarlets.
The visitors trailed by 20 points at one stage as the Scarlets looked to maintain their impressive run of form of late.
But the Bulls, inspired by their powerful pack, surged back into the contest.
But it was ultimately not enough as the hosts held them out and bagged their bonus-point success in the closing minutes thanks to a try by Johnny Mcnicholl. “It was a tale of two halves,” said Peel.
“I thought in the first half we were particularly good, we started really sprightly and got over the line.
“And then second half, I felt like they came after us physically in those tight areas, which we knew they would.
“I did feel like we were a bit naive in that second half, we didn’t respect territory enough.
“But I am really pleased to come back at the end. Credit to the forwards, there were a couple of times when the Bulls ignored going for three points and we held them out. It was a huge defensive set.”
The Scarlets endured a miserable start to the season that saw them towards the lower reaches of the URC. But their form has been transformed in recent weeks.
Peel added: “I am delighted with the win because the Bulls are a top-end team.
“They came here fully loaded, so it’s a big, big win for us, a big win for this season and a huge win in general.
“I spoke in the changing room about why I was pleased, not just with the win, but our ability to back up performances and results.
“For us that is the growth, to see us defending like a team at the end and scrapping for each other, that is what a good team is.
“We are seeing a team who want to fight and scrap for every point and every tackle.”
The Scarlets do not play again until February 18 when they host Edinburgh.
“Everyone will have a week off and that is well deserved,” added Peel.
“They will enjoy that and then it’s back to work and then a big one against Edinburgh in three weeks’ time.”