Easterby: Team can play a winning game

Apr 23 2007 Simon Thomas, Western Mail

Scarlets skipper Simon Easterby has challenged his team to respond to their latest Heineken Cup heartache by following the lead of Munster and bouncing back next year to win the trophy.

Irish outfit Munster were twice runners-up before finally being crowned European champions at the Millennium Stadium last season.

Now it's the Scarlets who have taken on the mantle of nearly-men, having lost at the semi-final stage for the third time in Saturday's 33-17 defeat to Leicester at the Walkers Stadium.

But Easterby is convinced that they can still achieve their holy grail of Heineken glory in the future.

'We will bounce back from this,' insisted the Ireland flanker.

'Munster have shown that it takes a long time to win this cup. It's not an easy thing to win and when we do it will be that bit sweeter.'

Easterby is 32 this summer, while time is also running out for the likes of Dafydd James, 31, Iestyn Thomas, 30, and Stephen Jones, Vernon Cooper and Gavin Thomas, all 29, if they are to get their hands on the biggest prize in European club rugby.

But when asked whether he believes his generation of Scarlets can still make Heineken history, Easterby gives a unequivocal answer.

'Without a doubt,' he replied.

And when he makes that bold statement he doesn't have one eye on the possibility of winning a competition diluted by an Anglo-French boycott. Easterby wants to win the real deal.

'Hopefully the tournament will continue at full strength next year and we'll pick ourselves up and challenge again for the cup,' he said.

'We probably exceeded everyone's expectations this year and we can learn a lot from this defeat.

'There was a huge amount of disappointment in the changing room afterwards. I think we were beaten by the better side on the day, but it doesn't make us a bad side.

'We tried hard, but we made crucial errors in crucial areas of the field and that cost us the game really. They were errors that we haven't made throughout the tournament. That was the difference between the two sides. Leicester were probably just that little bit more clinical than us. They took their chances and we didn't take ours.

'We weren't at our best and at this level you need to be and I think the Tigers were. They were fantastic. They had obviously done their homework on the way we play, particularly at the contact area and around the field in defence. They made it hard for us to get going forward.

'On another day we might have won the game, but it wasn't to be.

'We've got to pick ourselves up and make sure that we finish strongly this season. There's still a lot to play for and we've got to make sure we keep on playing.'

While disappointed with the way the European adventure ended, director of rugby Phil Davies believes the Scarlets can take a lot out of a campaign that brought memorable victories over the likes of former champions Toulouse, Ulster and Munster.

'It's been exciting and it's been exhilarating at times, the type of rugby we've played,' said Davies.

'The experiences we've gained will stand us in good stead as we move on. I think we've done terrifically well and we've shown that we can compete against the best in Europe.

'We came a bit short on this occasion, but I think we've done ourselves proud through the tournament.

'We are obviously very disappointed at going out at this very crucial stage, because we had the goal of trying to put the cup in the cabinet for ourselves, for the players, for the region and for Wales.

'But we'll pick ourselves back up, learn from what we've experienced and we'll come again.'

He elaborated, 'We've learned that we've got good players, we've learned that when we get our preparation right we can compete with anybody and we'll continue to do that.

'We've also learned that if you are not clinical at the top table you don't get the results. That's what ultimately has done us. Those things will be important for us moving forwards.'

The thrilling, expansive approach which had taken the Scarlets through to the semi-finals wasn't able to bring a victory against a powerful Leicester side who strangled the life out of the Stradey outfit.

But Davies insists he won't be moving away from that trademark brand of ball-handling, running rugby.

'We play in a certain style and we've got players to complement that style,' he said. 'That's the way we've always played at Llanelli in my view and we'll continue to play like that.

'We've just got to be more effective at doing what we know we can.'

In seemed as though the Scarlets' commitment to a wide game was going to be rewarded when hooker Matthew Rees crossed in the left corner on 50 minutes for a converted try that put them 17-16 up. But treble-chasing Leicester hit back virtually straight away, with a neat Andy Goode chip setting up a Shane Jennings touchdown and they pulled clear in the final quarter.

'If we could have consolidated that lead for a bit longer then we could have built more pressure,' said Davies.

'We were moving the football around the field very effectively and we were making inroads.

'But Leicester are a smart team and they scored a clinical try that knocked the stuffing out of us a bit. It was disappointing to concede so soon after our own score, but to be fair to them it was clever play and well taken.

'We've got no complaints. We had a go. We tried to play the way we have been playing throughout the tournament and on occasions it looked pretty effective. On others it didn't.

'We knew the challenge. Leicester have got some power players, they are effective in their ball-winning and ball usage and they deserved their victory.'

Scarlets No 8 Alix Popham echoed Davies by saying, 'I don't think we can change the way we play because it suits us and suits the players we've got playing for us.

'The only competition we've got left now is the Magners League and we will be putting all our eggs into that.

'We are a strong enough side to come back from this mentally. We are a young bunch of players and we are going to strengthen the squad for next season.

'It's going to be interesting to see what happens with Europe next year, but we'll be here again and giving it our all.'