SWEET REVENGE FOR PEEL’S STARS
THE Scarlets are ready for a decisive showdown with the Ospreys this weekend after beating the Dragons at Rodney Parade. The West Wales rivals are battling it out for a Champions Cup spot as the top Welsh team in the United Rugby Championship.
Scarlets skipper Jonathan Davies said: “The focus shifts to the Ospreys next, another local derby, and we want to finish this run of derbies on a good note.”
Scarlets coach Dwayne Peel said of the win over the Dragons: “It was nervy. I thought we started really well, but to be fair to the Dragons they came back hard and put us under pressure.
“With 20 minutes to go we were right in a battle.
“It would have been easy for us to fold. We showed some good character and good steel at the end to get back into it.
“We have a big derby next week and we look forward to that one.”
The Scarlets kept alive their URC play-off hopes as they gained sweet revenge over the Dragons with a bonus-point victory at Rodney Parade.
Peel’s side had gone down to a surprise 38-27 home defeat to the Men of Gwent the previous weekend, but responded with a six-try triumph in an entertaining encounter.
They built a 17-0 lead, only for the Dragons to go in front with 19 unanswered points of their own, but three tries in the final 15 minutes took the visitors clear.
Ultimately, it was their driving maul that proved the difference as it provided three of their touchdowns, with full-back Angus O’Brien also crossing twice against his former region.
The Dragons will look back and rue the opportunities they spurned in a first half where they had much more of the ball, only to trail 17-7 at the break.
The first half was a strange affair. The Dragons had 70 per cent possession and 80 per cent territory, plus a one-man advantage for 10 minutes following the sin-binning of winger Steff Evans.
But it was the visitors who delivered the points, claiming tries through lock Sam Lousi, full-back O’Brien and hooker Ryan Elias to go 17-0 up.
Tongan international Lousi opened the scoring with a magicianlike one-handed finish from close range following a strong line-out drive, and three minutes later it was the turn of the versatile O’Brien to take centre stage.
Off a counter from a turnover, the former Dragon hit the line and showed good pace as he sprinted in from his own half.
The Scarlets then had wing Evans yellow-carded for a deliberate knockon, but despite being reduced to 14 men they posted their third try.
The driving maul once again proved a real weapon, with Elias rounding things off following a concerted forward surge off a Josh Macleod line-out take.
As for the Dragons, they were left to reflect on missed opportunities, with scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou spilling the ball with the line at his mercy early on and then wing Rio Dyer being denied by an ankle-tap from O’Brien.
They eventually succeeded in converting possession into points six minutes before the break when centre Jack Dixon picked up from a ruck following an attacking scrum and forced his way over to cut the halftime deficit to 17-7.
The hosts started the second half strongly and on 50 minutes it was Jordan Williams’ turn to score against his former region as the full-back spun over following sustained pressure.
Then just past the hour they took the lead from a well-worked move off a scrum, with Sam Davies sending centre Aaron Warren away to the line.
But the Scarlets were soon back in front, with the rolling maul once again their key weapon. Replacement prop Rob Evans peeled off from the drive to claim the bonus-point try, ahead of wing Corey Baldwin and O’Brien both crossing out wide in the closing minutes.