Moriarty fears worst for title bid

Jan 2 2008 Western Mail

PAUL MORIARTY warned the Scarlets’ defeat in Newport was a considerable setback to their bid for Magners League glory.

Being crowned champions has assumed paramount importance at Stradey Park following their Heineken Cup capitulation and throwing away of a semi-final spot in the EDF Energy Cup.

But, after letting English club Saracens steal a last-four Anglo-Welsh showdown with the Ospreys away from them in the dying minutes last month, they blew it again yesterday.

“We know, if we had won here, it would have put us in a good position to go on and win the title,” said Moriarty.

The former Wales back rower and rugby league international fronted-up with typical honesty following the last-minute 15-13 reverse at Rodney Parade.

“We should have won this game. We know we now cannot lose any more games if we are going to succeed in the title race,” he rapped.

The Scarlets lost Wales and British Lions scrum-half Dwayne Peel at the interval – he had suffered a shoulder injury during the first half and it is unclear how long he will be out.

With the Six Nations Championship starting against England at Twickenham on February 2, new Wales coach Warren Gatland will be concerned by the news.

He will also have worries over the hand injury which prevented Peel’s half-back partner and former Wales captain Stephen Jones starting yesterday.

Jones is expected to miss this weekend’s away trip to bottom-of-the-table Connacht with Peel likely to keep him company at home.

Moriarty certainly wasn’t using injuries as a factor in the Scarlets’ New Year’s Day loss.

“We had opportunities in the second half when we should have scored. We should have stayed in the Dragons’ half, made them defend and kept them under pressure,” he blasted.

“But we didn’t, they had that scrum right at the end and came away with the win.

“Rodney Parade is always a very difficult place to win, but we should have. We have allowed a team to win the game when we felt we could have had more control.

“We knew a win would have put us on top of the league. It was there for us with four seconds to go to come away with the win, but we lost it.

“It was a well-executed try by the Dragons. There was a good pass out of the tackle and Kevin Morgan ran well.”