Scarlets show Moar they have character
BRAD Mooar hailed the character and resilience of his young Scarlets side as they repelled wave after wave of second-half pressure to get their PRO14 season off to a winning start.
The Scarlets had 15 players absent due to the World Cup whereas Connacht were missing only two. But the west Walians were far more accurate than the Irish province with their defence allowing them to get the Mooar era off to a solid start.
Tries from Steff Evans and Paul Asquith along with eight from the boot of Dan Jones was enough for the Scarlets to get over the line. All Connacht could muster was a single try from Eoghan Masterson and five points from Conor Fitzgerald.
“We played tough, we played smart and it was easier playing without the ball than with it,” said Mooar. “They maintained their discipline throughout which was crucial. I felt that if we could get ahead with some scoreboard pressure then it would be a really hard night to chase the game down and so it proved.
“We don’t give in and we go until the referee says it’s all over. I thought Kieran Hardy, Dan Jones and Johnny McNicholl were outstanding and the work we did off the ball was excellent.”
Moar also praised Josh Macleod: “Josh was absolutely outstanding tonight both defensively and at the breakdown. He’s been around a while but he’s still a young man and he has a big future.”
Scarlets broke the deadlock after Ryan Conbeer surged into Connacht’s 22. Scarlets proceeded to lay siege to the Connacht try line and, after Paul Asquith was brought down just short of the line, discarded Wales wing Evans managed to ground the ball from short range.
With their tails up the Scarlets extended their lead with soon-to-be Welsh qualified full-back McNicholl the architect as he sliced through the Connacht defence, earning his side valuable field position.
After he was brought down just short of the line the ball was spun wide with Steff Hughes dummying a kick before sending Asquith over for a try converted by Jones.
Connacht hit back with a penalty from Fitzgerald but the hosts turned around 12-3 ahead at the interval.
Connacht couldn’t have made a worse start to the second-half with inside centre Tom Daly sent to the sin bin for offside allowing Jones to extend the home
sides lead with a simple penalty kick.
As the heavens opened and the conditions got worse Connacht’s pack began to dominate with the visitors applying pressure on the Scarlets line with Masterson powering his way over to make it a one score game.
But the Scarlets maintained their composure as Jones added yet another penalty and the west Walians held on for an impressive victory.
Connacht head coach Andy Friend believes his side missed a golden opportunity to claim their first victory at Parc Y Scarlets.
He said: “It’s definitely a missed opportunity for us. There’s no excuses for us. I thought the Scarlets played very well. We didn’t take them lightly but we missed too many opportunities.”