Slow start crucial as Peel’s men lose thriller

DWAYNE Peel was left to rue a slow start after the Scarlets lost 49-42 to Munster in Cork on Friday night.

The Irish province were 35-7 up at the interval, but the Scarlets rallied superbly in the second period before falling just short of the most dramatic of comebacks.

“We spoke at half-time that we had two choices, either we roll over or we fight,” said Peel.

“We came back well, we showed spirit and what we were capable of. But we weren’t happy with giving away 35 points in the first half.

“Some of our play and discipline let us down. We gave Munster too much field position and we didn’t exit well, which was the case on a couple of occasions in the second half as well. We had prepped well and were confident coming here that we could give them a game.

“It was a good game in the end, but, as I said, conceding 35 points in the first half is too much.”

Munster tore out of the blocks with two tries inside the opening 12 minutes, the first one from Patrick Campbell after Antoine Frisch’s slick offload.

Sam Lousi’s tap-tackle denied Jean Kleyn, but Paddy Patterson’s flicked pass back inside soon had Calvin Nash scampering in behind the posts.

Joey Carbery converted both and the possession-starved Scarlets, who lost Johnny McNicholl to injury, then watched Carbery and Nash feed Shane Daly for his first try of the night.

The quick-reacting Patterson stepped inside Steff Evans for try number four, converted again by Carbery.

Following a sharp Johnny Williams run into the Munster

22, Vaea Fifita used Sam Costelow’s skip pass to send Roberts over out wide.

However, a weaving Daly was put through a gap by Carbery, whose conversion reopened the 28-point gap at the break.

In the second half, Fifita was put through by Sione Kalamafoni’s inside pass for a 40-metre run-in. Costelow converted.

Coombes and Kalamafoni then traded tries, the latter pinching a loose ruck ball to strike from a few metres out.

Lousi bagged the Scarlets’ first bonus point from a quickwitted 60th-minute attack, before Nash completed his brace.

Dan Davis’ break set up Gareth Davies for the visitors’ fifth try and a sixth arrived when Costelow put Tom Rogers over.